Shades of Gray
by Catheryne
Summary: Xover with Charmed, Angel, BtVS, Roswell. “The daughter of the sun shall give birth to the child of the shadows, the strongest force this plane has ever known.” CHLEX. COMPLETE
1. Light

Shades of Gray  
  
Clark sat uncomfortably in the Sullivans' living room, fidgeting on the soft couch as Gabe looked at him from head to toe. Clark sent a litany aimed at the room on top of the living room itself, hoping that Chloe would finally emerge and the two of them can blow out of the house that suddenly turned from familiar to alien territory.  
  
Gabe smirked and sat down opposite Clark. The older man rested his elbows on his knees. "Why so tense, Clark? It's not like it's your first time meeting me."  
  
"Mr. Sullivan, sir," Clark stammered.  
  
"Is it because it's now officially a date?"  
  
"Ummm, well-"  
  
Gabe shook his head. "Don't be so nervous, Clark. Nothing has changed. You're still the young but never been little Clark, who along with Pete, made my daughter very welcome here." Clark swallowed deeply, to clear his throat. Gabe pushed a glass of lemonade towards the boy. "It's difficult to believe that you two are old enough to date. I remember it just like yesterday, when Chloe's mom went into labor. I knew that Chloe was going to be a kid full of surprises, very tough to handle."  
  
"Ummm. why, Mr. Sullivan? Did she scream a lot?"  
  
Clark watched as Gabe's took on the faintness that accompanied nostalgia. The earlier smirk softened into a smile. "No. Contrary to what one would think when he sees Chloe now, Chloe was a very quiet baby. The birth hadn't even been that hard for my wife. But the moment the doctor said that Chloe was cresting, the blinds hanging on the windows fell, and the sun came streaming in." Gabe grinned. "My first sight of Chloe was of her drenched in birthing fluid and blood. But she was also basking in sunlight. I know you've never seen a newborn with a huge smile on her face. From the moment she was born, Chloe's smile has been blinding."  
  
There was a loud clearing of a throat, and both men looked up to see Chloe descending. Clark had been trying to imagine the unbelievable picture that Gabe painted of his daughter. If he had been having trouble before, he was no longer. There Chloe stood, pretty in a light brown dress that closed in a diagonal cut from the neck to the knees. She sported a smile that would blow even the sun away in its brightness.  
  
"Dad, are you telling Clark baby stories? He's not like my other dates. He has known me for a while," Chloe stressed. "He's not going to have some bubbly image of me just because you're sharing memories."  
  
Clark rose from his seat, all nervousness gone. Somehow, Chloe always made things easier to deal with. Looking at her, his immediate response was, "Why paint an image when the masterpiece is tangible?"  
  
Chloe's eyebrow arched at the suavity that was foreign to her friend. She met her father's eyes and rolled her own when Gabe winked. "Come on, Cyrano. Let's get out of here before dad tells us a story of when I danced naked under the sun in the middle of a Metropolis street."  
  
"She did?" Clark asked. Gabe opened his mouth to confirm the story, but Chloe was already dragging her date away.  
  
~~  
  
In the state of California, where sun and breeze were married to give foster a normal afternoon, two men were separately shuttered, willingly, in cold, dark spaces as they pored, with the help of a dwindling light, over ancient texts.  
  
In two different cities, two vastly different men, one mortal and the other invincible, held the keys to a long-kept secret. The last two copies of a prophecy foretold even before the five ancient civilizations rose from the rivers of the world. The characters were abstruse enough to warrant more than twenty translations at a time. By the end of four months, the prophecy finally made sense.  
  
Cole Turner, district attorney and immortal, placed down the scroll that held the answer to his dream. Love may lie with a Charmed One, but the most essential tool that he needed to survive lay dormant until his seed awakens it.  
  
Wesley Wyndham-Pryce looked down at the various scribbling on his notebook. He had finally translated the text that he was certain was authentic. Angel himself found it lying under the rubbles of a demon lair. For too long, he worked to discover what secret it held. Now he had to tell Angel and hope that he could convince the vampire to go in search of the woman. While it may be better for Angel not to know about this, Wesley had sworn never to keep such important revelations from his friend.  
  
"The daughter of the sun," he read, "shall give birth to the child of the shadows, the strongest force this plane has ever known."  
  
He had been the Source. Cole knew there was no one else on earth who could claim to now have grown far more powerful than the Source of All Evil. He was the child of the shadows.  
  
When Wesley walked into his office, concerned about a piece of paper he held in his hands, Angel looked up from the newspaper he had been browsing through. "What is it, Wesley?"  
  
Angel took the slip of paper and read the prophecy. He had been the one who tasked Wesley to translate it. Now, he held the answer in his hands. "Am I the child of the shadows?" he asked. "I've been walking away from the sun for most of my existence."  
  
"Whether or not you are the man that prophecy speaks of," Wesley told him, "I advice you to find the daughter of the sun. There are too many forces too powerful to stop. We have to at least prevent the most powerful of them all from being born."  
  
"Does anyone else know of this prophecy?"  
  
"Even now, I'm afraid creatures who seek power may be coming after her."  
  
tbc 


	2. Shadows

Part 2  
  
For most of his adult life, Lex Luthor breathed shadows to nourish his lungs. In his veins coursed blood that was at once hot and cold. He moved among secret barriers and learned to surreptitiously play his hand. All this he did to survive a man who crushed him as a sign of affection.  
  
He had been told by the women who held the most importance in his life to have faith in himself, because the time would come when it would feel that nobody else did. This he felt in the cold stare of the residents of a small town. Compared to him, these people were negligent in the greater scheme of the universe. That is why he never knew what force it was the propelled him to seek their acceptance. When he had given up long ago on receiving praise from his father, he strove for strangers to welcome him.  
  
He did not care to remember that he had never felt more satisfied with the man he was than the time when a lovely girl who fought for fairness and balance asked him questions that could have easily ticked off a lesser man. When she smiled her approval, something he should not even have cared to have, his head spun and his heart palpitated.  
  
Luthors do not care about the affairs of others.  
  
But he did. So here he was, stuck with a lukewarm cup of coffee, ensconced in the darker and more isolated part of his own shop, watching the awkward conversation going on at one of the tables. For two teenagers who have perfected sexual tension, or rather their version of it, Chloe and Clark seemed unwilling to jump on each other. Lex could swear he saw Chloe tentatively pull her hand out from under Clark's at the pretense of picking up her coffee mug.  
  
Who took a girl on your first date to the same place where they met every day of their lives? Sentimental value aside, most of the developments in Clark and Lana's relationship took place in this coffeeshop. Lex never took Clark for an obtuse guy, but Clark was rapidly showing Lex where his judgment erred.  
  
High school kids being as naturally rowdy as any group of kindergarten kids, Lana ended up dropping a tray of frappes. The look of disappointment that crossed Chloe's face did not go unnoticed when Clark excused himself and headed over to Lana. The farmboy helped Lana Lang pick up the broken mugs. Lex shook his head at the sight of Chloe Sullivan suddenly finding the table very interesting, half-hiding her face under a curtain of blonde hair.  
  
~~  
  
"What are you doing here, Glory?" Cole Turner pulled himself off his lazy lean against the coffee shop wall. He turned his scorn on the voluptuous woman in a red short dress who was looking through the glass. "This is not your territory."  
  
Glory flipped long blonde curls over one shoulder as she grinned at the demon. "And neither is this yours," she responded. "We're both visitors in this dimension, Belthazor. Don't presume to tell me where I am or am not welcome."  
  
"I've been living in this plane for a few years now. You can't even transport your corporeal flesh."  
  
She narrowed her eyes and ran a candle-shaped finger over her supple skin. "At least I still look youthful and gorgeous. Unlike you. You show each of your hundred years."  
  
"I prefer dark hair," Cole told her simply. "If you're after the daughter of the sun, go on your merry way. I stake my claim first."  
  
Glory lifted a playful yet warning finger as she tsked. "Ah ah ah! Nobody stakes claim on a prey until it's captured. Don't tell me living in the mortal world dulled your memories, my senile old demon."  
  
Cole scoffed. "It's not like you can seed her the way I can."  
  
Glory made a face of disgust. "Please. You think I'm after the child? My interest lies somewhere deeper." She peered through the glass again and her eyes widened. "Oh mucho guapitos in there. And one is heading this way." She turned to Cole and waved her fingers. "Later, lover."  
  
Cole leaned back against the wall, not even turning to look when the door opened and out walked a man in a suit way better than his own. The bald man looked up at the rapidly dimming sky and took a deep breath. This was the man that he had seen watching his prey earlier. A little help from the inside never hurt. That was his strategy before with the Charmed Ones. It would be his strategy now. He pushed aside reminders that it did not work now. He was pretty certain he was not going to commit the mistake of falling in love this time. "Beautiful night," Cole began. The man turned his head, looking curiously at him. "Cole Turner. Attorney."  
  
"Lex Luthor," was the quick reply. Lex extended his hand to shake his. "You're not from around here."  
  
Cole chuckled. "So I don't look like the typical Smallville man?"  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "You don't. Anything bringing you here?"  
  
"Would you believe me if I told you that it's a woman."  
  
A slight smirk graced the man's lips. "A woman can make us do many things, Mr. Turner."  
  
"Kindred spirit. Call me Cole."  
  
"Lex."  
  
"So, Lex, care to have some coffee with me? I would love to talk to someone while I wait for the woman to come to me."  
  
Lex looked quickly inside the Talon before nodding. He had nothing better to do. And this gave him reason to stay longer in the Talon than he needed to. "That would really be a good idea."  
  
"Not you too," came a voice from behind them.  
  
Cole turned around and realized that late afternoon had turned into night. He sighed in exasperation. Lex had already stepped into the coffeeshop. "Tell me you're not really here," Cole pronounced, irritated.  
  
"Can't do that," Angel insisted, tucking his black leather coat around him snugly. "Because I'm here to prevent you from doing what you're planning to."  
  
"Look, Angel, I'm not spoiling for a fight. I've been laying low for a while. Give me this chance, huh?"  
  
Angel shook his head. "I can't let you do that, Cole. It's too dangerous." The vampire cocked an eyebrow. "Besides, you prefer brunettes. Daughter of the sun necessarily translates to golden hair," he reasoned. "And I know all about blondes."  
  
"Of course you do," Cole said patronizingly. The demonic grapevine was rife with stories about the extremes of the two women who graced the life of the celebrity vampire with a soul. Both with long golden hair, one was the slayer and the other one of the most malicious vampires ever created. Both women were such forces to be reckoned with that Angel was called 'whipped' behind his back.  
  
The Talon's door opened again. "Your friend?" inquired Lex. He really had no time for pissing games between two men he did not really care about. Inside, Clark had just rejoined Chloe at their table, and he needed to be there to watch. "Why don't you join us for coffee?"  
  
"He doesn't drink coffee," Cole drawled.  
  
Angel pushed his way into the coffeeshop and scanned the room, his eyes settling on Chloe. "I'll just have milk. No problem." 


	3. Spot

Part 3 Spot  
  
He should never have decided to hang out with strange men. This was a lesson that Pamela taught him when he was still a kid. But Lex had always been stubborn so he did not listen. Now he was stuck with two men whose dark clothing made his pastel silk shirt seem out of place, two men who merely glared at each other then brooded while checking out all the young women in the Talon.  
  
It served him right for going against his natural instinct to judge tell them that they were not worth his time. But he tried to be just a little bit more open to others. Yesterday, when he dropped by the Torch, Chloe had mentioned offhand that she would like to know what type of personality he had. The casual comment led him to a copy of Cosmopolitan, answering a quiz aptly titled 'What Kind of Man is Your Man?' After a ten minute hidden test- taking, Lex found out that he was not a good catch. Since the advice was for him to start being more friendly and cheerful, he did so. So after staking out on Chloe and Clark's date, here he was, having coffee with two of the most sinfully boring men on earth.  
  
One more minute in the company of the two would render him mute. Lex excused himself to sit in the bar.  
  
The moment the human left, Cole snarled at the vampire, "Go home to your lair, Angel. This is not your hunt."  
  
"It is nobody's hunt, Cole. Don't you have a wife?" Angel baited. "Oh right. She doesn't want anything to do with you." Cole's fist balled on the table and Angel could see the spark from the ball of fire he was forming. "You're going to throw me a fireball in the middle of a crowded coffee house. You've never been a smart demon, Cole, despite the fact that you passed the Bar."  
  
The demon boiled with anger. He would not allow a mere vampire to vilify him this way. "If you're so intelligent, Angel, then you wouldn't mind the competition that I pose now. After all, being the idiot that I am, I probably did not think to bring a spell that would allow me to see who among the women here is the one spoken of in the prophecy." Cole stood up and left Angel at the table.  
  
Angel followed Cole's departure until the demon went into a secluded portion of the Talon and shimmered out. "Damn," he muttered. "Why didn't Wesley give me some sort of spell too?"  
  
A group of students, possibly from the local high school, trouped into the coffee house bearing props for a theater play. Angel stood to make way for a young girl bearing a bag of Styrofoam balls painted in different colors.  
  
"Hey Tanya! Bring the solar system over here."  
  
The girl did not notice the sign on the floor that read a warning about the slippery spot. The planets and other heavenly bodies went flying all over the store.  
  
A boy in a checkered button-down shirt immediately stood up to help the girl back on her feet. Angel watched as behind him, a blonde girl came up and picked up one of the props. "Are you okay?" the blonde asked. "Here's your prop." She handed the bright yellow sun back to the recovering girl.  
  
Angel shook his head. "How am I going to find the daughter of the sun now?"  
  
~~  
  
Chloe stepped out into the cool night. She gathered her coat over her shoulders and took a deep breath. She may complain about Smallville's utter lameness compared to her Metropolis, but she really did enjoy the town for its silence and relative security. She furrowed her brows and scratched the last thought. Smallville was safer than Metropolis in terms of thieves and rapists. Smallville's danger lay in an entirely different aspect.  
  
Just remembering the various mutants that populated the town made her walk faster. When she turned the corner of the street and bumped into a soft body, Chloe nearly screamed.  
  
"Oh sorry!" The bright and cheery voice abated her fears. "I wasn't looking! I swear I would lose my head if it weren't so beautiful!"  
  
Chloe bit back a giggle at the woman's obvious charm. She smiled genuinely at the curvaceous lady in a red dress, too short for her to be walking the streets at night. "It's all right," she assured the woman. "I was in a hurry too."  
  
"You running away from something, honey?"  
  
"No!" Chloe laughed. "I'm just paranoid. I've felt as though someone's been watching me all day."  
  
"Someone probably was. A girl as pretty as you would have eyes on her every second."  
  
"You've obviously not met Lana. I was in the same room as she was. There should have been no one even knowing I was there."  
  
The woman's smile grew even larger. "Don't sell yourself short, Chloe." Chloe stiffened just a little when the woman cupped her cheek and traced her fingernails over the skin of her temple. "Blondes always have more fun."  
  
"Wait." Chloe stepped back, relieved to have those cool, digging finger off her skin. "How do you know my name? You're not from around here."  
  
The woman pouted prettily. "You really are paranoid." She chuckled. "A name is a name is a name is a name," came the woman's distorted reason. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll tell you mine."  
  
Chloe's eyes widened when she saw a man take form right at the corner of her vision. "Glorificus, will you leave the girl alone?" said the exasperated man. "I've told you once and I'll tell you again. You cannot benefit from the prophecy. You're not equipped to impregnate her."  
  
The terror was building in her throat. Chloe was going to scream. She just had to suck in enough breath to do so, and right now, that was the difficulty.  
  
"Shut your trap, Belthazor, before I get pissed and turn you into ash."  
  
Chloe's eyes flew from this woman named Glory to the newcomer Beelzebub. Bellwether just laughed out loud. "You may be a god in your realm, Glory. But I am the most powerful demon in this. Don't test me."  
  
And that was the last straw. She started screaming and turned around, running as fast and as hard as she could. When she thought she was going to collapse from her aching muscles, Chloe bumped into a hard body. She was instantly enfolded in a hard grip. Chloe shut her eyes and screamed. And screamed. And screamed even more.  
  
The arms around her grew tighter. Now she knew what it felt like to die by boa constrictor, when life was just squeezed out of you.  
  
"Chloe! Stop screaming."  
  
She screamed.  
  
"Chloe, it's Lex!"  
  
When the words finally penetrated her brain, she allowed her eyes to flutter open. The haze that was her vision cleared enough to register Lex's concerned gaze. The moment she was certain she was safe, Chloe fainted in his arms.  
  
Lex stood in the sidewalk, with the unconscious girl in his arms. He looked up and down the street, needing to know what scared her so horribly that she would be in this state. Finding the streets empty, he placed her in the passenger seat of his care. Lex was grateful he decided to go out today with the roof down. He climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition.  
  
Before he could get the car running, a man in black leather appeared beside Chloe's door. Lex almost jumped in his seat. He had looked earlier. There was no one. Where did this guy come from?  
  
Angel stood there looking down at the young woman who he was now certain was the daughter of the sun. Cole and Glory would not be hounding her if she were not. Neither Cole nor Glory had her, for which he was glad. He did not know forces much more evil than those two. This new man was unexpected.  
  
"Which demon sent you?" he demanded of the bald guy he was sitting with only an hour ago. Earlier, Angel figured him for a human. Now he was not so sure. Why would he have the unconscious daughter of the sun if he were merely human?  
  
Lex's eyes narrowed. He did not like the way this man was looking at Chloe, like she were some prized treasure. "My father may be the devil himself but I don't work for anyone," came his prized answer. With that, he floored the gas and headed for his house.  
  
Angel stared after the mint convertible. "This is not good," he figured. "Cole, Glory, and now the son of the devil. Talk about a bitch of a mission."  
  
He stood there mulling over his plan of action. You cannot just approach the son of the devil with no foolproof way of success. From the corner of the street, two figures walked towards him. He barely registered the fact that they looked good together. If he mentioned it, Glory would be flattered because anything positive pertaining to her looks never failed to stir her vanity. Cole would probably burn him with a fire ball since the street was already deserted.  
  
"What?" Cole yelled. "We send her running away in your direction yet you fail to take her?"  
  
"Angel, you're looking as gorgeous as ever."  
  
"There's an unexpected new member in the chase," he answered. Angel threw a quick wink to Glory. She was just Angelus' type of woman. "And thank you, Glory. You don't look too shabby yourself."  
  
"Would you please focus? The balance of the world lies on the answer." Then Cole smirked at his own words. "Well the imbalance in my point of view. So what are you talking about?"  
  
"It's not just the three of us after her anymore. The son of the devil has her now."  
  
Cole huffed. "Not possible. I was the last Source. And I do not have a child." And then he stopped. His brain ran through a billion possibilities. "Unless Phoebe did not really lose the child."  
  
"Oh please!" Glory scoffed. "The witch was pregnant a year ago. There is no way your son is running around spoiling our fun already."  
  
Angel caught Cole's eyes and nodded. "Unless your son was sent to a hell dimension then called back to ours as a bald twenty-something year old."  
  
Glory arched her eyebrow and shifted her weight to the ball of one foot. She placed her arms akimbo and waited out the Hallmark moment between the two sinners.  
  
"I'm a father," Cole whispered. 


	4. Haze

Part 4 Haze  
  
Chloe blinked at her surroundings. The high ceilings were unfamiliar and unsettling. The smooth silk rubbing against her body luxuriously made her uncomfortable. She was a cotton sheets girl, or at least that was what she thought before that moment. She was not in her bedroom. She gasped out loud at the memory of the woman and the dark-haired man speaking about impregnating her, demons and gods.  
  
She heard the door open and Chloe scrambled out of the bed, falling down onto the floor beside it. She knelt and tried to hide her body from the new arrival.  
  
"Chloe," she heard the voice say. She looked up and saw that it was the man was not the Bellwhatever that Glory was talking to earlier. In fact, she felt relatively safe where other residents would cower in terror. "Lex," she breathed. Chloe stood up. "Thank God it's you."  
  
For his part, the words warmed his heart until he was grinning in satisfaction. Lex had never seen anyone more sincerely grateful to be in his presence than Chloe Sullivan appeared right then. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Very confused," she offered. "There are people after me and I don't know why."  
  
Lex nodded. "When I was taking you home, there was a gloomy-looking guy who appeared out of nowhere. I gather he was after you as well."  
  
She gave him a semi-bright smile. She was thankful he had her, but she was still pretty nervous about the unknown factors here. "You saved me then. Thanks."  
  
Lex walked forward and sat on the edge of the bed. Chloe followed suit on the opposite end. "I wasn't going to leave you on the hands of weirdos. This guy Angel was the one who mentioned something about a demon. I think Cole was after you too."  
  
Chloe reached out her hand and closed it over his. "Thanks." A spark of electricity she had never experienced before suddenly shot through her fingers at the touch of his skin. She looked directly into Lex's eyes and saw it glaze over with icy blue. Her blood thrummed with an inordinate amount of pulsing heat, rendering her breathless. The room fell from her vision and all she could see was his face.  
  
Lex felt his veins burning. He had never been this mixture of fiery hot and icy cold. He felt himself charged with energy so extreme that he could not figure out which was heat and which was cold. They felt the same now. He crossed the barriers and his pores emanated the indescribable feeling.  
  
Suddenly, he saw her crawling towards him. Lex reached up and pulled his shirt open, sending buttons flying everywhere. His gaze focused on her eyes, her lips, the swell of her breasts seen as the tantalizing pair swayed as she made her way to him. "Chloe," he whispered. He reached out his hand and buried his fingers in her hair.  
  
He helped her straddle him. Lex's lips closed over hers in an open-mouthed kiss, drawing her lower lip between his teeth and nibbling until she squirmed above him, causing him to strain inside his pants, eager to be inside her warmth. He felt her hands run down his back. Lex retained some tenuous hold on his memories, and he knew that lots of women before her have done the same thing. Yet he was also certain that he had never felt this heightened sensation with anyone but Chloe.  
  
"Lex, I need you," she pleaded in his ear. He shivered at the words and the tongue that dipped along the shell of his ear. "I don't know why."  
  
And all the reasons pooled in his groin when she said that. All he could think of was throwing back his head and plunging deep into her because that would make sense somewhere in this nonsensical haze that enveloped him.  
  
"This can't be right," he said. Until a few minutes ago, Chloe Sullivan had not looked at him as anything but the Luthor son and the guy her quasi boyfriend hung out with. Despite the fact that she seemed lost in the same mysterious haze that enveloped him, Lex still had scruples about this. Chloe Sullivan was not herself.  
  
She reached down to unzip his pants and took him in her hands. "I want you."  
  
"Chloe, you're not thinking," he protested half-heartedly, already lifting her by the waist.  
  
"We're not required to think now," she parried. "All I want you to do is move. Inside me. Move and keep moving."  
  
"Chloe," he said again.  
  
Suddenly, she stopped and grabbed his cheeks. She stared down deep into the icy blue depths that were not entirely Lex Luthor's but more his than the calmer blues she was used to. Lex was drawn to the green eyes that were starker than they were in the numerous times he had looked into them. They were more themselves now than they ever were before, now when they sounded and acted like different people. She said in a voice softer than he ever heard her use, "You love me."  
  
Lex closed his eyes. He thought he did. For months now, he had been thinking he may love her. "You know I do," and this time the words that came out were spoken in a coarser, rougher voice than what he sounded like. His fingers hooked on her panties and pushed them aside, uncovering her the same way she did him.  
  
With a firm thrust up and a determined push down, he broke through the hymen that brought forth a surge of possession inside him. Chloe buried her mouth in the crook of his neck and moaned in pain. He plunged inside her roughly, quickly, ceaselessly. She contracted around him at the mixture of pain and pleasure that she craved like air. She continued to push down against him, needing to take more and more of him inside her. She would never get enough of his body moving against her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and closed her teeth around the skin of his shoulder.  
  
"Lex," she gasped. There was an emptiness in her belly that she could not find the answer to. Chloe sped up her movements. At her action, Lex gripped her waist more tightly and thrust into her more forcefully. "Please."  
  
Chloe raised her head to tell him what she needed. At the sight of his eyes, her gaze widened. One of his hands moved to where they were joined. "There's something more intimate than this," he rasped, touching the swollen part of her where she brushed against him. Her vision went white.  
  
"Tell me," she whispered, unseeing. "Show me."  
  
His lips fused with hers. "This," he mumbled against her lips. The kiss this time was tamer than before. His lips rubbed hers. He kept his mouth closed and he took her lips in a way that would have been juvenile had the touch not been infusing her with all the emotions that sent her mind whirling.  
  
Chloe shut her eyes tightly as she came, tightening around him like a vise, sending him to his own culmination. Lex gritted his teeth, his veins becoming evident in his neck as he shot inside her. He breathed heavily while their foreheads rested against each others'.  
  
Spent, he fell back on the bed. Chloe's consciousness flickered and she fell with him. She lay limply above him. Not a breath later, Lex followed her into oblivion.  
  
~~  
  
Clark scratched his head in worry. He glanced at the counter where Lana was wiping some coffee stains. He looked back at the somber man sitting in front of him. When this guy walked in, Clark immediately told him that the Talon was closed. The look of despair in his eyes told Clark that this was someone who needed help. Of course, Clark always helped everyone. That was who he was.  
  
"So you're telling me," Clark paraphrased in a stage hushed whisper, "that Chloe is in danger."  
  
The guy, Angel he remembered, nodded. "Or at least she will cause the danger. She's part of a catastrophic prophecy that will change the face of the world as we know it."  
  
"You think that Chloe is the daughter of the sun." Clark frowned. "That can't be right. Something this big. Chloe." He shook his head and glanced at Lana once again. "Are you sure you guys translated it right? You guys could have made a mistake."  
  
Angel's eyebrow arched, not wanting to be offended for Wesley. But then again, Wesley may not have misread it. But he certainly could have discovered a made up prophecy. It wouldn't be the first time. And then he remembered Cole and Glory. "No. This prophecy is thrice verified."  
  
"Can't be right," Clark muttered.  
  
Angel's eyes narrowed. As an investigator, he was experienced enough to catch these slight indications of more knowledge than one is letting on. From the first moment, he knew there was something off about this Clark Kent who was Chloe's date. This boy was acting too gullible, too naïve, too. nice. No one was like that. "What is it?"  
  
Clark smiled uncomfortably. "I was just thinking that you may have read sun when it should be moon, you know. Like, you're looking for someone smokier, less bright. Someone with dark hair and dark eyes. Like Lana." Clark pointed to the said girl. "You know, if it's got to impact the world, then your best bet will be Lana Lang. The most important events happen to her."  
  
Angel glanced at the girl, looking over the timid movements that contrasted with the calculated movements such as flipping her hair and looking up at him under thick lashes. "No. A child so powerful can't come from a girl like that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Look, kid, you're not her agent, are you?" Clark looked confused for a moment before shaking his head. "All right. Now I've lost Chloe. I have to get her away from the child of the shadows. Right now, Cole is after her. But I'm afraid about an unforeseen enemy. The son of the devil took her. And he may try to spawn with her."  
  
"Son of the devil?"  
  
"Bald hair. Rockin' car."  
  
"Lex!" Clark chuckled. "Well don't worry about him. He's safe."  
  
"But he's the son of the devil."  
  
"He's the son of Lionel Luthor, who is not, no matter how much other people insist, the devil."  
  
Angel sighed in relief. "Well then everything's safe. Now we just have to make sure that she stays away from Cole and Glory. Do you think this Lex will agree to keep her away from the others?"  
  
Clark bit his lip. "I'm not sure. Lex is pretty private. He might not want her hanging around and being a bother."  
  
~~  
  
Lex's eyes fluttered open. The dead weight pressing him into the mattress took his immediate attention. His hand went to the soft golden hair that waved before his nose. Lex dropped a soft kiss.  
  
Chloe rubbed her cheek on his chest. A soft movement reminded him that he was still inside her. He shifted easily and laid her down on the bed. She blinked up and he smiled into the green eyes.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
She flushed at the realization that she was intimately connected to Lex Luthor, pressed against him in his bedroom. Chloe remembered how she initiated what had happened to them. She could clearly remember wanting him so badly that she would have died had she not had him, but she could not remember why. "Yeah," she answered.  
  
The smile that he gave her told her that there were a hundred reasons that she just never bothered to explore. "We have to talk." 


	5. Shimmer

Part 5  
  
Cole shimmered in and out of Smallville residences, leaving pale and trembling townspeople in his wake. Whenever he appeared in one dwelling and realized that the daughter of the sun was not there, he would growl and turn into the red giant that he really was. There should be one house where the son of the devil was. Cole had to see him. He had to find out how his son was here and why he was out kidnapping his stepmother-to-be.  
  
Although, Cole stopped midshimmer, it was also just as possible that this bald guy was the product of the prophecy. His demon skin crawled at the thought that he may have succeeded. Perhaps in the future, he did succeed impregnating the daughter of the sun. Their son, powerful whelp that he was, was taken to a hell dimension where he grew into a man. Extenuating circumstances there forced him to go bald. Hopefully so his hair would not keep getting snagged by demon claws. The baldness was not aesthetic but a matter of survival then. That really made Cole proud. So his bald son was taken back to this plane, heard about the prophecy and did not realize that he himself was the infamous spawn. And now. Even Cole could not bear to think about it. He was after his own mother!  
  
Cole shimmered again to a dozen houses in a split second. He had to find him before he does something worse.  
  
Due the the terror that suddenly possessed him, Cole found himself shimmering involuntarily and appearing in a warm rule that seemed like a chamber. There were entwined figures on the bed, and the low hush of voices. Cole stepped forward, feeling the air, warmed from the fireplace, part to make way for him. The first thing he saw was the firelight reflecting on golden hair spread over a pale arm.  
  
"I don't know," the woman whispered. "I have no idea. Wait. That's a lie. Somehow I know that. I just-"  
  
"You're too afraid to say it," the man filled in for her.  
  
If he had a functioning heart, it would have stopped. Cole stepped forward and saw the figure so connected to the daughter of the sun. He had finally found them. He grew furious. Of course, the mother of the powerful spawn would be calculating. How could he think she would be innocent? This man was his son. That much he was correct on. But this could not be the son of the daughter of the sun. And he was confusing himself. But his mind was rambling and he could care less. This was his son, wrapped in the arms of a scheming, conniving, and from the looks of it-he could see the tangled legs outlined under the blanket-probably already pregnant.  
  
Lex cupped the soft cheek of the woman he held in his arms. He could not explain the sudden change in their relationship. He could not even venture a guess about the reason why she had suddenly become attracted to him when she never showed any indication about that before.  
  
"It's all right, Chloe," he assured her. "I can't understand this either. But I don't regret this."  
  
She shook her head. She would be lying to herself if she said that she didn't find the experience with Lex to be mind-blowing. But she still felt very ill at ease about this. "I feel like this wasn't us."  
  
Lex grinned. "I can certainly tell you that this is me, Chloe. And I know that I'm holding you right now."  
  
"No. I mean-"  
  
"I know. There was something different there. I felt like I was someone else then. At the same time though, it was all me. I was more myself than I have ever been before."  
  
Chloe nodded because warped as it seemed, he was right. She had never felt more complete than she did at the time Lex came inside her, and he wasn't completely Lex, and she wasn't completely Chloe. Something was going on with them and she wasn't sure if she disapproved of it entirely.  
  
"People can't fall in love in just one minute," he began. Chloe met his gaze steadily because she did not know how to oppose his statement without appearing too desperate. Lex continued, "But I think-no. I know I did."  
  
She broke into a relieved smile. "Me too," she admitted, still not saying the words but assured that he would understand and not demand more than she could.  
  
Lex has never been an overly demonstrative person. It was a characteristic he be perfected as Lionel Luthor's son. You may have a heart attack facing your fear of heights, but you never showed it. When he heard those two noncommittal words though, Lex closed his eyes tightly and took deep breaths to slow the racing of his heart. "I adore you," the words rushed from between gritted teeth. "I'll do anything for you."  
  
Chloe smiled at Lex's expression. She had never felt more cherished in her life. Closer to him, she cuddled and pressed until every pore of her body was consumed by him.  
  
Then another body barged into the relative stillness of the shield that they put up around them. Her hands gripped Lex's shoulders and she whimpered at the terrible fire that roared in the black pools of the stranger's eyes. Lex's eyes shot open and he glared at the intruder. His hands automatically gripped the sheet and covered every inch of Chloe below her chin.  
  
"Get out."  
  
Cole narrowed his eyes at Chloe. His son was only rude because he was mistakenly protecting her.  
  
Lex stiffened when he saw Cole's focus only on his woman. He held up a warning hand. "Don't look at her. I don't care how you got in. Leave now!"  
  
"Son, you stay away from that viper. I know the kind. She will tempt you to bed and then vanquish you in the end!"  
  
"What!" Chloe screeched. She slapped away at Lex's shoulders so he would move and she could give the dark-haired stranger, whom she remembered as being called a B-word by the curvy blonde, but she preferred to think of as a stranger, a lethal glare. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.  
  
"Stay there, Chloe," Lex muttered.  
  
"I am not your obedient wife," Chloe retorted. "You can't order me around."  
  
"Not yet."  
  
"Well even then!" Chloe protested until she realized the implications of her words-that of an agreement to some proposal that may not even happen. She focused instead on the other man, now unseen because of the shoulders in front of her. "And you are not Lionel Luthor. Lex is not your son. Dream on."  
  
"Thanks, Chloe," Lex said playfully.  
  
Cole shook his head. "You know that you're my son. You said so yourself. You're the son of the devil."  
  
Chloe's jaw dropped. Lex felt the gap against his back. He shook his head. "There are worse evils than a man who breaks into someone else's house. That is my father."  
  
"I am the Source of all Evil! No one is more evil than I am."  
  
Chloe tugged on Lex's upper arms. "He's a psycho," she whispered.  
  
Lex turned his head to look down at her from behind the shelter of his back. "I know. He won't see you from there. Fish the phone from the drawer and call 911. Tell them they need to pick up this man. He probably escaped from the Kansas Mental Asylum."  
  
When Lex turned back to the stranger, he saw glimmering blue light circling around behind him. "Woah," he whispered. That captured Chloe's interest and she knelt behind him, the sheet falling off her body. Lex almost groaned aloud when he felt her nipples brush against his back.  
  
Chloe's eyes widened as the blue lights solidified into a man. "Oh wow." She watched as the new stranger, this time with dusty blonde hair, looked at the crazy guy with exasperation.  
  
"Leo!" crazy devil man exclaimed. "What are you doing here? She's not one of your charges, is she?"  
  
"She's not a witch. She's not even a whitelighter-to-be," Leo explained. "But I have to protect her because she is the daughter of the sun."  
  
"Well you're too late," Cole replied. "My son has had her."  
  
"Hey, I object!" Chloe stopped herself when she realized how Legally Blonde that sounded. She was simply not the amusing and delightful type of blonde.  
  
"Your son?!" Leo exclaimed in disbelief. "Phoebe will kill you."  
  
"I'm not his son," Lex protested.  
  
"I have not been had by anyone," Chloe picked up.  
  
"Quiet!" Leo held up his hands. He looked at the three people in the room and glared at each one of them. Obviously, he was too late. He was not protecting her from Cole, but from an unidentified man with a force that the Elders told him emanated so strongly that he would know the moment he met the man. They had told him that he should warn Chloe away. Now Leo felt the incredible strength that bounced off the bald guy in waves. Mission failed.  
  
There was one thing left to do. He turned to Cole and asked him to leave. When Cole looked like he was about to object, Leo shook his head. "You are not part of the prophecy, Cole. You are not the father. Of this bald gentleman here," Leo frowned at his words, "or of any child that the daughter of the sun will bear."  
  
Cole appeared like he wanted to rebel at first but kept silent instead. He shimmered out with a warning, "I might return." Lex smirked at the stupidity of the Mac Arthur ripoff.  
  
While the men were talking, Chloe had taken advantage of the time to slip on a blouse and a skirt. She rose from behind Lex and narrowed her eyes at Leo. "Now what is this about. My father is Gabe Sullivan. What is this with the daughter of the sun and all that crap?"  
  
Leo's eyes wandered to the bald man. With Cole gone from the picture, he seemed more relaxed and unguarded. The bald man was now simply sitting there, watching the woman fondly. Admiration and something else, something he himself reserved only for Piper, was in the bald man's eyes. Leo said, "Leo."  
  
The bald man turned to him, his gaze still unfocused. Based on experience, Leo knew that even though the guy had turned his eyes on him, the bald man was still caught in the image of the daughetr of the sun, whom he should really start thinking about as Chloe now. "Lex," Lex said distractedly.  
  
"Now would you care to explain?"  
  
Leo turned to Chloe and smiled. "I'm a whitelighter, an angel if you will. So you don't have to be scared of me."  
  
"Hey," Chloe said with a small smile, "you got rid of crazy devil man."  
  
"This whole thing started several hundred years ago," he began. "Do you believe that there are other dimensions, even life in other planets?"  
  
Chloe glanced at Lex, thinking that this angel just found the right audience. He was talking to the two people in Smallville who had an open mind about all these. It wouldn't have proved difficult had they been reluctant, because after those shimmering displays earlier, Leo would have a spellbound audience either way.  
  
"The story started in Glorificus' dimension. Do you think you're ready to know, so you will take every precaution?"  
  
Tentatively, Lex took a step towards Chloe. She looked up at him, noting that his eyes were just a shade icier now than they had been. The color was closer to what he had when they came together. Lex didn't know why he suddenly wanted to spirit her away. He was as curious as she was regarding what the story behind the daughter of the sun was, and why all these people- creatures-were looking for her.  
  
"You're going to tell us?"  
  
Leo held up a hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm going to show you."  
  
Lex grasped Chloe's hand and pulled her away. "You don't need to. We'll be fine, Chloe. This is stupid."  
  
"Lex," she said, pleading eyes directed at him, "I want to." She stepped away from Lex and closed her eyes. She felt the angel's hand rest on her temple. 


	6. 6

Her eyes fluttered close as Leo's hands warmed on her face. She could hear Lex's protests fading until they were as inaudible as the rest of the world. Slowly, sounds from a long forgotten past crept louder until it was all she could hear. She opened her eyes to see that everything else that she knew had dropped away. In front of her were familiar strangers moving in and out of a room that was as wide, with ceilings as high, as her vision could encompass.  
  
"Ch'ali!"  
  
She turned around to see a curvaceous blonde heading towards her, long curls flying like a banner behind her. The name flew out of her tongue even before she could register that this was someone new. "Vilandra."  
  
Slender fingers closed over her hands. The lovely woman Vilandra tightened her hands around hers in a grip that seemed so inappropriate for an obvious princess. "I need your help."  
  
It was as if an ice sheet fell over Chloe in an instant. She was filled with an immediate hostility for the young woman whose face rivaled that of any angels'. Chloe could only wonder what had happened between the two of them in this life. Chloe felt herself slipping fully into the body of this new person that she was. Desperately, she tried to clutch tendrils of her identity and lost the battle. She settled fully and forgot that she was not a true inhabitant of this world that Leo opened up to her.  
  
"What do you need, princess?" Ch'ali replied caustically. A princess was in front of her, but Ch'ali knew she was in a high enough position that she did not have to be too careful about her words.  
  
"Please. I need you to go with my fiancé to the convention tonight."  
  
"A tête-à-tête with someone else, Vilandra?" Ch'ali inquired smoothly. "Isn't it on the side of irresponsible that you are choosing this over peace?"  
  
Vilandra's eyes narrowed and the hands that gripped Ch'ali's tensed. The princess dropped Ch'ali's hands. "You know as well as I do that I have no real responsibility in this kingdom. I'm a prize to the best warrior, no more than that. And I want you to accompany Rath because he is more likely to listen to your counsel than mine. You have to stop this war!"  
  
"Rath and I have nothing but respect for each other, Vilandra, if you are implying otherwise."  
  
"Insist what you will. But I command you to leave tonight with Rath and my brother, as my representative," Vilandra stated coolly. "You're dismissed."  
  
~~  
  
Lex caught Chloe easily as her form slipped into unconsciousness. He lifted her and laid her gently on the bed. Lex sat down and looked up at the whitelighter. "Will she be fine?"  
  
"Knowing who she is, I'm sure she will," Leo answered.  
  
Lex breathed in relief. "When will she wake up?"  
  
"It depends on how much she is willing to see. Just trust that she will be back." Leo looked up quickly. "I need to go. If you need me, just say my name." In front of Lex's very amazed eyes, Leo vanished in a shimmer of blue lights.  
  
Lex looked down at the girl who had suddenly, in the span of one night, turned from a mere acquaintance that he often admired, to the perfect partner for his soul that he had not been aware was craving for a match.  
  
He carefully lay close to her and closed his eyes. His hand involuntarily searched for hers. At the moment of contact, Lex sucked in his breath and was thrust into memories that he was not sure were his.  
  
He walked confidently into a building that appeared like a closed coliseum. Several pairs of eyes turned towards him, and Lex felt the corner of his lips curl upwards. Even in this life, he held the same air as he did in the real one. "Lexan," a soft feminine voice sounded from beside him. "I do not want you to step up there and ignore everything that I told you."  
  
Lex shook his head at the blonde who he could recall was his sister. "Glor, you know my position on the matter of war."  
  
"And you know mine," she hissed.  
  
"Maybe that's why I'm in the throne and not you. You might have to wait until I die before you can wage that war on Antar."  
  
"Rath will attack us if we do not arm ourselves!"  
  
"When they fire the first destroyer, then we raise our barriers. But not before. The economy will suffer."  
  
"Life is more important than business, Lexan."  
  
"Without the commerce from the other kingdoms, our people would die, Glori. Accept it." He shrugged off his sister's arm and stepped onto the dais to a resounding applause. Lex held up his hands to ask for silence, and began to speak.  
  
~~  
  
Flanked by the two most powerful men of Antar, Ch'ali listened breathlessly to the king of the neighboring kingdom-the ruler of the country that was in danger of being conquered by her own. She watched intently as the sculpted face expressively moved an audience of diplomats. The king was seeking the support of the hundreds of other officials, in a fight against the idea of empire, with one ruler that would, according to him, leave the simple citizen too distant to reach those who could have helped him.  
  
"I see stars in your eyes," Zan said carefully, jarring Ch'ali's attention away from the speaker.  
  
"He is brilliant. His argument is logical and rational, which is more than I can say for the instinctive decisions that Rath is feeding you." Ch'ali glanced at the general that he was speaking of.  
  
For his part, Rath shook his head and appeared unaffected. "A woman, of course, would easily be swayed by Lexan's words. The man has always had a silver tongue. I can show you proof that Lexan has been prepared to strike us for three moons now. His destroyers are trained at Antar even as he soothes you in a sense of security, Ch'ali. You're young. He's battle- honed." He handed her a black compact viewer and pressed the power button. The screen glowed with images of the destroyers that Rath spoke of. "Throw you moon green eyes at the man, Ch'ali, until your body and those of the ones you love are blown to bits by the traitor."  
  
Ch'ali gasped at the sight. She looked up at Zan, but her king was now watching every movement that Lexan made. She turned her eyes back at the king on the dais, and marveled at how well he could fool the ones listening to him, with sincerity throbbing in the zeal that he affected.  
  
Lexan stepped down and the crowd burst into another applause. Ch'ali followed him with her eyes until he vanished into the throng of his admirers. She gingerly rose and excused herself from her companions. "I think I need fresh air after that revolting experience," she muttered. She heard Rath chuckling behind her. 


	7. 7

Part 7  
  
Ch'ali took a deep breath, incensed at how gullible she had been. Of course, King Lexan was lying. She could not believe she allowed herself to be lulled by the silken words. Had she not grown up encased in web of intrigue that was Zan's court? Even Zan's choice of her as his bride had not gone smoothly in the kingdom. Whispers about her abound-of her using Zan or her father needing a hold on the young king. Forget that she and Zan had been tighter than siblings since they were toddlers, or that her father had been the primary adviser of the kingdom, serving even the old king, Zan's father. She had to have known that Lexan would be as two-faced as any royal.  
  
But his beautiful eyes seemed pure and clear. Lexan's voice was strong and powerful, without a waver of uncertainty or malice. Perhaps that was why he was such an effective leader.  
  
Yet Ch'ali's greatest gift was her heart. And it told her surely that Lexan was telling the truth.  
  
"Was the convention boring to you?"  
  
Ch'ali turned slowly at the sound of the familiar voice. Indeed, she stood facing Lexan. "When men insist on nonsense, any speech becomes tedious."  
  
Lexan leaned against the large doors of the garden. "I would think that no one would disagree of my stand. No wars."  
  
"The issue is more than just the war. It can be of one stronger planet when it is not separated by kingdoms."  
  
His lips curved into a smirk. "Antarian then. I've heard of your king's idea. Some minor alterations and it may still become workable."  
  
"And who would you put in the empire's throne?" she inquired. "I'm tired of listening to grandiose dreams of megalomaniacs."  
  
"Why are you so acerbic? It's your king who wants an empire."  
  
He was so close to her, and she did not merely imagine the burning and throbbing of her skin. She had never felt it before. A kiss with Zan was pleasant. The sparks that often flew between her and Rath, often intriguing. But this feeling that overcame her when she was with the enemy king was disturbing, irrational, and delicious.  
  
Ch'ali closed her eyes. His scent assailed her senses. "King, step back."  
  
And then his warm breath on her ear told her how close he was. "I have not moved an inch, Antarian," he replied, referring to her by her race. "You're the one who has been steadily moving closer."  
  
She opened her eyes and confirmed his words. He was still on the same spot that he stood before. She was so close that she could hear his heart beat. "You would agree to a unifying kingdom," she said instead, not moving away. "I'm sure you believe you are the strongest ruler."  
  
"No," he answered in a whisper. He did not need to speak up, not when if he moved his lips an inch, he would be running it against the shell of her ear. "I propose a vote."  
  
She looked up at him, green eyes dissolving his blues. "I'd like to see you try this," she said, intending sarcasm, but managing none.  
  
"How in Hades did this happen," he said wonderingly, his eyes puzzled as he bent to catch her lips.  
  
Ch'ali received the sensations, forgetting completely that this was king Lexan and that before the week was over, she was going to be King Zan's wife.  
  
~~  
  
Ch'ali saw the dark shadow from behind the translucent windows of her assigned room. It was the last day of the convention and nothing had been settled. As with other political summits, there was no concrete agreement other than that all kingdoms opposed senseless death and economic sabotage. Ch'ali could have told them that without the expense of lodging dozens of political figures.  
  
Her mind told her that she should press the small button on the black compact on the bedside table. The alarm would trigger a sound in Rath's and Zan's rooms. Within seconds, the general and the king could be at her doorstep to ward off intruders.  
  
Her mind told her that it was stupid. It was so stupid that she rose from the bed and three back the sheets. Ch'ali walked over to the windows in only her nightgown and pulled them open. It was no longer funny to see Lexan standing outside, close to the silver pool that reflected the green moons, staring at her intently, silent and still.  
  
Ch'ali stepped out of the room through the window and walked towards him. Gingerly, she touched his sculpted face. "No politics," she bargained.  
  
"Never," he agreed.  
  
She pulled him down to kiss him.  
  
Their bare bodies danced under the moons, sinking under the viscous fluid that glimmered. The two of them shone as they moved against each other until no one could know where one race ended and the other began.  
  
Afterwards, he pulled them out of the pool and onto the grass. Carefully, Lexan maneuvered them to expose her to the lazy light of the night. "While your skin breathes moonbeams, Antarian, I'll breathe you." He licked away the dampness on her cheeks.  
  
"Lexan, I think you can now call me Ch'ali." She buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I'm more than just another Antarian to you now."  
  
Lexan waited until her breathing evened out and he was sure that she was asleep. An hour, maybe less, and she would wake up and return to her quarters. A few hours more and dawn would break, requiring her to leave him and head back to a land where he knew he would be unwelcome. He reached for her hand to lift her fingers to his lips.  
  
It was then that he saw the blinding pale blue stone that graced her ring finger. He recognized it immediately for what it was. The woman in his arms was Zan's intended bride. 


	8. 8

Part 8  
  
The ceilings were high and vibrant. The decorations Antar's palace was impressive to anyone who stepped in. The detail created by the millions of swarovski crystals throwing sunlight into the room in all the colors of the prism boasted of the luxury and honor that came from being born into the royal family.  
  
Under the torment of these blinding shafts of light, Ch'ali stood. For the last few weeks she had been dizzy at the sheer beauty of the throne room. She would have preferred not being there, but a call from a royal was just that. Knowing that it was Vilandra who needed to speak with her made the command that much more peremptory.  
  
Ch'ali did not need a seeress to know why she was suddenly summoned. Of the royals, Vilandra was the one who lived up to the name. Rath used his abilities to destroy the enemy. Zan honed his skills to help his people. Vilandra unleashed the powers she had been given control.  
  
And last night, Vilandra showed her just how much power she had. Ch'ali had closed her eyes and created an image of Lexan. In her dreams, she stood waist-deep in the silver pool where she had last been with Lexan. The moons shone above her, fuller than they had when she had been there. In her dream, Ch'ali forced herself to forget that when she woke up at the first kiss of the sun, she was lying on the grass alone. Ch'ali had focused on the sensations of the night. She heard the rustling of the grass and felt the air around her part to accommodate his arrival.  
  
The dream figure of the enemy king appeared, his face set in stone, his crystal eyes brilliant as he took in her form. Lexan had touched her cheek and placed a kiss on her brow. Under the blanket of silver water, she accepted him again inside her body. At that moment of complete satisfaction, when breath rushed out of her lips, Ch'ali opened her eyes and saw Vilandra looking down at them.  
  
And now it was morning and reckoning.  
  
The princess had no right to slip into her dreams, and more than feel betrayed, Ch'ali felt herself violated. And so the only words that she could manage were, "Stay away from my dreams, Vilandra."  
  
The corners of the princess' lips curved. Based on what she had seen the night before, they both knew that the visit was justified. "Is this your idea of fixing things? Sleeping with the enemy?"  
  
"What I may or may not do in my own time is my business."  
  
"Not when you're marrying the king. I will not let you do this to Zan."  
  
Ch'ali shook her head. "I never wanted to marry your brother, Vilandra. Tell me if you can still count the number of times I've expressed that the agreement be annulled."  
  
"It doesn't matter now," Vilandra replied softly. "The people want you, the peasants. But Ch'ali, I cannot allow you to go to my brother with that thing inside you." The princess nodded to an attendant, whom Ch'ali did not even notice was there.  
  
The woman, who had midnight eyes and lush black hair, stepped forward and held a pillow up to Ch'ali. Ch'ali saw the bottle lying on top and took it.  
  
Ch'ali read the embossed letters on the bottle. "Pennyroyal?" she said in disbelief.  
  
"Purge yourself of it or take it with you to the deserts. Either way, we find a solution now."  
  
Ch'ali eyes narrowed. Rath was off in battle, and Zan was with him in a safer location. "You think Zan will allow you to get rid of me?"  
  
"Look at the abortificant again, Ch'ali." It was one of the substances held under the highest security in the kingdom, because of its laws against any termination of Antarian life. "Know that the decanter would not have been released had it not been sanctioned by the king."  
  
"Zan's entire purpose is to help preserve lives."  
  
"You're an intelligent woman, Ch'ali. How do you think this would make him appear-his bride full of another man's child?"  
  
"Zan and I agreed to be friends."  
  
"For all the education you have had, Ch'ali, you neglected to study the most important things of all."  
  
"Then take the pennyroyal back, Vilandra. Send the men who will escort me to the desert to my room."  
  
Ch'ali could see the joy and confusion battling the primary place on the princess' face. "Neither the moons nor the sun can reach you in the desert, Ch'ali. You will not survive without them. How can you breathe?"  
  
"Isn't that the glory of the punishment?" Ch'ali replied, walking out and leaving Vilandra to herself in the vast room.  
  
By nightfall, Ch'ali knelt on the red sand and looked up at the barren sky. The edges of her vision were beginning to darken, and she could feel her bones melting. With every second, she felt her body growing weaker. Memories of Lexan holding her, carefully maneuvering their bodies so that her skin would be exposed to moonlight, filled her mind.  
  
She had sworn, after seeing Rath kill his first man, that she would never use the abilities she received. Ch'ali doubted that she would even be able to use them in her current state. She had more than herself to think about now. Zan, despite what Vilandra said, Ch'ali knew loved her too much to let her die. Rath and the delicious magnetism they shared might be willing to extend a hand.  
  
Ch'ali folded herself into a ball on the sand and with her remaining energy, sent a plea to a farther place. 


	9. 9

Part 9  
  
The freezing wind rubbed his skin raw. Lexan's hand tightened on the controllers of his glider as he maneuvered the endless desert. He had heard the whisper of his name only once, hours ago, and not again. He knew too little about the woman who slept in his arms moons ago to believe as he did now. Yet Lexan could not keep the niggling feeling that Ch'ali of Antar had sent a plea to him. Every inhabitant of the planet had one gift after all. The royals' were too well-known. He was certain that it was Ch'ali's voice that teased his mind.  
  
He scoured every inch of the desert, yet all he saw was red sand. There was no way a living creature could survive the place, least of all an Antarian. Their bodies were too dependent on the energy of the cosmos. Without the touch of the sun or the moon, they would die the way he would without air.  
  
In this cursed world of sand, there was no hint of stars.  
  
Lexan turned up the light of his glider, pushing on despite the painful raw marks on his skin. He had left her beside the silver pool that night. With his sister, he left the convention. There had been no note, no message. She was the enemy king's bride and he had been drowned in her beauty so much that he had not paid attention to consequences. She had fooled him.  
  
Ignore the fact that he had initiated the first kiss.  
  
And the days he had spent in his own kingdom had been empty. He longed for the scent that filled his senses. Lexan wanted to grip her shoulders and shake her until she admitted that there was nothing between them but deception. At the same time, Lexan wanted to bury himself inside her and relive the ecstasy of being in her arms. The only thing he was certain of was that he wanted one more moment with Ch'ali of Antar. Whatever happens in that time was unimportant.  
  
There was a slight bundle in the far horizon. It was an unmoving figure thinly veiled by red sand. Commanding his heart to slow, Lexan stepped on the pace level to propel his vehicle forward. An endless while, and he stopped beside it. Lexan jumped down and knelt beside her.  
  
Ch'ali of Antar lay on the sands of the desert, abandoned and pink with dust and sand. He tentatively reached to touch her face. She was cold and close to dead. He was swept with relief to find the pulse that weakly pumped her life.  
  
"Ch'ali."  
  
Lexan blew at her eyes to remove the film of sand on her lashes. He waited for her acknowledgement of his presence. She did not stir.  
  
He looked up at the black sky and realized how close he had come to losing her forever. And this time he had no need for apologies or explanation. He did not need her to speak. Lexan wiped her face with his hands and touched his lips to her brow. With his right arm, he cradled her to his chest. "You will be strong, Ch'ali. I swear it."  
  
Slowly, Lexan's left hand shot up towards the sky. He never used the gifts that set him apart from the rest. Lexan had always believed that the evil that they brought was far more potent than the good. He ruled without them. Now he needed them. Lines of silver blue light beamed from his fingers and cut the sky. Thunder roared in a desert that had not seen rain for hundreds of thousands of years. Lexan bent his body over Ch'ali's to shield her from the torrent of rain. Fat daggers of water tore the clothing on his back until the water saturated the sand and climbed several inches up. When it was over, Lexan straightened and revealed Ch'ali's skin to the winking stars above.  
  
He watched as Ch'ali's skin glowed as she breathed in the light.  
  
Lexan breathed harshly, spent from exerting the force that he had always kept hidden within him. His people would pay for this. Several months of dry heat, of burning forests and of farmlands that would not be irrigated.  
  
Ch'ali's eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him with confusion, amazement, and then love.  
  
And his people's suffering was worth it.  
  
"Lexan, you came."  
  
"You called," he returned.  
  
Without waiting for her response, he lifted her up, soggy clothes trailing on the floodwater, and boarded his glider with her resting against him. They treaded water, heading straight for his home.  
  
On the way, he glanced down at her. She was silently watching the desert sea go by.  
  
"Lexan-"  
  
"Zan found out." His jaw was tense. "Did he send you out here to die?"  
  
"Zan would not have done that," she answered. "It was Vilandra. Zan was away."  
  
"The princess sent you here to die? Why?"  
  
Lexan had never wanted to attack Antar. He had always found reasons to speak about disagreements. Now, he could not think of any reason why that kingdom was still there. His destroyers could easily wipe out the race.  
  
"I didn't want to do what she wanted me to."  
  
"Tell me, Ch'ali."  
  
She turned her head towards him, and held his eyes with her steady gaze. "I love her, Lexan. Despite everything, she was my sister too."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"You have to swear that you will not harm my people."  
  
"After what they did to you, Ch'ali, I am your people."  
  
She shook her head, her jaw jutted out stubbornly. "Swear."  
  
And the powerful king assented. "I swear." The obdurate set of her face evaporated into uncertainty and a touch of fear. His arms tightened around her. "Ch'ali. Tell me now."  
  
"Vilandra wanted me to kill our child."  
  
His throat closed around an answer that he had not even formulated yet. Lexan looked ahead towards the looming towers of his home. He was bringing back his entire life.  
  
"Lexan, she was the princess of Antar. I was going to be queen. Do not take this against her."  
  
"She had every right to protect her kingdom, Ch'ali. She had no call to murder my son and my bride."  
  
She shivered in the damp clothes she wore. "I am not asking for marriage, Lexan. I know what I have gotten myself into. All I need is shelter for my child. You do not need to acknowledge us. Tell your people I am a homeless woman you have taken under your wing."  
  
The glider stopped in front of the castle. Lexan stepped down and lifted her out. "You have the next king in your womb, Ch'ali." She tried to read his expression, but found that like he was the day they met, Lexan was inscrutable. "And my heart in your hands." Her breath caught. "You will be accorded the respect of a queen."  
  
Just as he predicted, the moment his people saw the sight of their king with Ch'ali, they hurried to offer a place by the warm fire, food and a bath.  
  
"You've always been meant to be queen, Ch'ali. You will be. It may not be in the kingdom of your choice; it may not be with the man you wanted. But I swear to you, Ch'ali, I will make every effort so that you do not regret what circumstances have forced on you."  
  
She was now bundled in furs that he wrapped her in. Ch'ali watched the quiet movements and reveled in the gentle touches. She wanted to assure him that what he thought was wrong. "Lexan-"  
  
It was the first time she saw him smile since he saved her. "Not out of gratefulness, Ch'ali. You'll come to mean it," he told her. "Tell me then and make me a happy man."  
  
She closed her eyes when his head bent towards her. She waited for his lips on hers, only to feel the butterfly touch on her temple. 


	10. 10

Part 10  
  
Ch'ali had not known what to expect. The last three weeks with Lexan had not been part of any wonderings that she had about the man she met at the convention. He had then appeared every inch the brilliant leader- commanding, exact, hard. He had possessed her thoughts when he spoke of the logic of his stand against a war with her people. He had taken her breath away when he touched her and entered her in the silver pool.  
  
She thought that he had taken everything that was her that night. Ch'ali had been willing to leave Antar for him. She had been willing to live without the suns.  
  
Yet here she now lay, three weeks since Lexan had picked her up off the desert floor and cradled her in his arms on the way back to his kingdom, unable to comprehend the change not only in her perception of the enemy king but also in herself. Apparently, he could take not only her body and her mind. After days of soft kisses, tender touches and murmured conversations, Lexan took her soul. Were she to perish, Ch'ali knew that the crystal where her essence would rest would not be propelled to the stars as was her people's tradition. She would ask that her essence hang from his neck for eternity.  
  
It had not been easy. For the first nights she was in blended terror and anticipation that the door to her chamber would slide open and the king would step in to claim her. Instead, Ch'ali awed herself by shrugging on the short silk robe from her closet and making her own way to the king's chamber.  
  
"You did not come. I'm not familiar with your people's norm. Was I supposed to come to you instead, Lexan?"  
  
Ch'ali had reached up to cup his smooth cheek. She adored his skin. Zan had always had stubble; Rath a disgusting beard. Rising on the tips of her toes, Ch'ali had pressed her lips over his and waited for his answering pressure. Lexan had placed his hands on her cheeks and deepened the kiss before pulling away.  
  
"Did I do anything wrong?" she asked, breathless.  
  
Lexan's forehead had rested against hers as he caught his breath. He had shaken his head. "I will not take you until we are wed in front of my people, Ch'ali."  
  
"We don't have to."  
  
"Tell me your dreams, Ch'ali," he had urged her.  
  
Ch'ali had allowed him to pull her into his room. They had lain in bed together, his hand closed over hers. She had talked about white flowers, music and birds. Lexan had listened until she was no longer speaking. And then, she had woken up to the sight of Lexan sleeping beside her, the most peaceful look settled on his face.  
  
And not six hours after that, she had flowers and gowns and arches in white. A lovely group of girls played in the background and birds pecked at seeds on the grass. Ch'ali was wed to a stranger who knew her so well.  
  
Before their kiss that would complete the ceremony, Lexan had wiped away a tear from her cheek. "I swear to you, Ch'ali. You will not regret losing Antar for me."  
  
And she had wanted to tell him that she never would, but the passion in his eyes drove all coherent thoughts away.  
  
He was her heaven. She had never been this happy before. She had been certain it would not last. King Lexan, her beautiful lover, married her for his ambitions. He had always been vocal about his desire for a unified kingdom. Her son would make this dream reality.  
  
Having always been an inquisitive mind, Ch'ali spied on her husband while he was alone with his sister in the throne room. Ch'ali had never liked Glori. Often, when the other woman thought that nobody was looking, Ch'ali would catch the princess staring at her with malice enough to kill her were it a physical thing.  
  
What she overheard altered her perception of Lexan and destroyed some cobwebs in her heart.  
  
"I was supposed to be the ruler, Lexan. Instead you brought in an extranjera who would usurp my throne!"  
  
"Careful, Glor," Lexan cautioned. "My guards may think you are threatening their king. You do not want them to act on their own and eliminate the threat, do you?"  
  
Ch'ali peeked carefully and saw Glori smile at her brother. "Call this my way of showing you how much I love you. I am concerned about you, Lexan."  
  
"I take care of my own."  
  
"I cannot understand why you do not understand, brother. Zan and Rath sent her after you. She used seduction to bring you down. I would not be surprised," Glori said with a flip of her hair, "if the castle is stormed while we are in bed and we are all killed in our sleep!"  
  
The king's answer was soft, almost caressing. "Any more slander against your queen," he stressed, "and I will consider it treason. Ch'ali is innocent in this. And you will not change my mind. Glori, I am completely, irreversibly in love with my bride. Accept your lot. You will have a future king a few moons from today."  
  
Ch'ali's throat had closed then, and she fought very hard to breathe. Perhaps Lexan spoke in the heat of the moment; perhaps he meant every word. Either way, Ch'ali felt as if she were drowning, because if she were honest to herself she knew that Lexan had loved her the moment they met. Maybe, some hidden part of her felt the same way her entire self felt now.  
  
Lexan entered the king's chamber to find his young wife wrapped in his fur robe. The garment almost swallowed her as she lay at the center of his bed. He strode forward and stopped a foot away from her. Lexan grinned at the sight. Ch'ali smiled back and extended her hand, which Lexan immediately took.  
  
"I adore you," she told him. Lexan nodded in acknowledgement. "I would change nothing in my life, Lexan, even if nothing turned out as I expected moons past."  
  
The words relieved him, because he gave a tremulous sigh and kissed her knuckles. "Thank you."  
  
Ch'ali maneuvered their hands firmly so that it was now she holding his hands, bringing them to her lips, to her neck, to finally rest on her left breast. "I love you, Lexan. Every beat of my heart belongs to you."  
  
And he stared at her for the longest moments, slack in disbelief, then searching for clues that she was lying. Finding none, he looked puzzled and then amazed. And then, when he decided that he was not going to question it, Lexan shook his head. His lips curved and he closed his eyes. Ch'ali did not know the words he murmured then. They were not for her. 


	11. 11

Part 11  
  
The work of a monarch was never done. A burden was imposed upon you the moment you were born and was never lifted until your body turned into ashes. Oftentimes not even then. Lexan had seen his people look up to the marble statue of the old king to curse or wish as if the late Leon would be able to answer them.  
  
Lexan rubbed the bridge of his knows, considering the various proposals submitted to his office to solve the drought. Every day, the number of those who had taken ill or even died grew. If he did not attend to his people soon, this solar revolution would turn out to be the most disastrous in one hundred revolutions.  
  
The wet season was about to come. Hopefully a day of rain would be enough to make the farmlands flourish. Then he would have to take Ch'ali to Antar and brave the Royals. Perhaps he can make the trip furtive enough that Zan would not be alerted to their presence. It was the only way to keep Ch'ali safe. Wet season in his kingdom was completely devoid of suns. At least in Antar, which probably developed this vulnerability in the Antarian evolution, the suns shone the whole year.  
  
His sister sent in her own proposal. She was a brilliant woman, his sister. If he were not looking forward to this family that Ch'ali would give him, then Lexan would have been disappointed that Glori would never have the chance to rule his kingdom.  
  
Glori, well aware of his capabilities, suggested that Lexan use his gifts to manipulate the elements. She would lead a team that would store the water in case the drought struck again. It would entail five days of rain without a moment of sun. Lexan reached for his golden stamp and neatly placed the seal of rejection of Glori's proposal. He dipped his pen into ink and signed it.  
  
"You look busy."  
  
He looked up and saw his wife leaning against the doorway, her blonde hair piled on top of her head, wearing a red dress with long sleeves slashed from wrist to shoulder. The garment bared her pale smooth skin to his eyes. More than aesthetic, the garment allowed her to absorb as much of the sun as she could. Lexan was with her when the palace physician advised her to get as much energy to their growing baby as she could.  
  
"And you look lovely."  
  
His words brought a smile to her lips. She shrugged, drawing his gaze to her arms again. "I was hoping to entice my husband away from his work and out in the world. I even brought food."  
  
Without another thought, Lexan pushed away the papers in front of him. He stood up and walked towards her, dropping a kiss on her forehead. Lexan took the basket from Ch'ali and lifted the white cloth covering the contents. "Bread and cheese? I think we have more than that."  
  
"It's best to keep it simple, Lexan. That way, you're not thinking of how the food tastes."  
  
He grinned, everything else forgotten. "You have more delectable dish for me?"  
  
"We'll see," she answered.  
  
In less than ten minutes, Ch'ali and Lexan sat on his cape on the grass. They were beside the pool closest to the palace. As Ch'ali placed a wedge of cheese in bread for him, she related, "I thought it best to stay here. It reminded me of the night we were first together."  
  
Lexan reached for the food and bit the somewhat dry day-old bread. "This tells me you do not regret it."  
  
"You think that I would because it lost me a family and my homeland," she stated. At his expressionless face, she continued, "I thank a higher power every day that that night led me to you."  
  
Lexan squeezed her hand. He never hated Antar the way Glori did. To him, the enemy kingdom was a place that existed. It had never been real to him though. Antar caused problems for the economy of his people, but he could survive without Antar. In all the years he spent as prince, Lexan never thought that his happiness slept in one of the chambers of a palace Glori and his father had been longing to destroy.  
  
"Tell me what you think," she urged, when his face took on a distinctively thoughtful look.  
  
"I used to think I would never be as great a king as my father was," Lexan told her. Her face was rapt. His wife, he had found out, was an avid listener and a curious soul. "Glori was more like he was. They would do anything for the kingdom."  
  
"They loved the land."  
  
Lexan agreed. "And I wondered why I could not find as much passion. I thought I loved less. Probably the reason why I did not act at once to my people's needs. Maybe I do not know how to love the way they do."  
  
"That's not true," she whispered.  
  
"You showed me," he said, looking into her eyes. "You showed me just how much and how deep I can feel, Ch'ali. You showed me that I would do everything for love too. And I know now that I can go beyond the distances that my father did."  
  
For the first time, a frown graced Ch'ali's forehead. "Lexan, his love for his kingdom killed King Leon."  
  
"It did."  
  
"And your love is stronger. Does it scare you?"  
  
He smiled. "Every moment." Lexan pushed a lock of hair that had fallen from her pile behind her ear. "And then I look at you."  
  
"No regrets," she filled in for him.  
  
Ch'ali reached at her nape and unfastened the chain that hung around her neck. She held up a silver necklace from which a long crystal dangled. Lexan took the crystal and laid it on his palm. She picked it up and held it to the light. It captured light and threw back a myriad colors.  
  
"My people have a belief," she related, although she was aware that Lexan knew about it. It was an object of ridicule with the other kingdoms. "We all have our essence crystals from birth. They say that when a person dies, his soul would enter his essence crystal. Because every being is essentially a child of the universe, the crystals are propelled to a distant star to return to its womb. It gives us hope of being reborn."  
  
Ch'ali moved closer to Lexan and fastened the chain around his neck. "I want you to have my crystal, Lexan. If you're not going to be reborn through the stars, I have no wish to." She pressed her palm against the crystal, making the edges bite into the skin of his chest. "If I remain trapped in the crystal forever, I would relish every second because I will be as close to your heart as I can ever be."  
  
He closed his eyes and fisted his hand around the crystal. Lexan took her in his arms and looked up at the sky. The far horizon held the promise of long storm months. His people were rejoicing.  
  
A pleasant noise brought his attention to the ground. His eyes widened when he saw a gurgling infant swaddled in blankets. Lexan reached for the child and held it up. He glanced at Ch'ali in surprise.  
  
"That is how I picture our child to be," she told him. Ch'ali gave him a big grin. "He's lovely, isn't he?"  
  
"How?" he asked breathlessly.  
  
"I have very passive gifts," she told him. "The first one saved my life, when I called out to you. The other one makes you happy." The baby is his arms vanished. "I create images in my mind. Even if they were my creations, their effects are real."  
  
Lexan's tension eased. "It makes me happier to know that in a few moons, I will have one that will not vanish at your will."  
  
"It's not the only effect that lasts," she informed him. Ch'ali pointed to his trousers.  
  
Lexan looked down and saw a wet stain darkening the cloth. "An imaginary infant does this too," he chuckled.  
  
"What are yours?"  
  
"My what?"  
  
"Your gifts."  
  
Lexan stopped laughing. "It's nothing-just some control of the elements," he said simply, hoping she would not prompt him to elaborate. "I seldom use it."  
  
"A man with control over his gifts is the most powerful of all," she said in admiration. "And your sister's?"  
  
"One can never tell for certain what gift she has each day," Lexan told her. "Glori can borrow the gifts of those around her and use it for a certain period of time."  
  
"Mimic."  
  
"Legend says that those who mimic are the most dangerous of all."  
  
Ch'ali nodded. "But she's your sister. We do not need to be wary of her."  
  
Her eyes strayed to the crystal that now hung from Lexan's neck and felt a big thorn taken from her heart. Her soul had found a home more beautiful than the galaxy. 


	12. 12

Part 12  
  
The black walls were crowding in on her. Ch'ali touched the throbbing pulse on her neck. She could see nothing around her. Desperately, she searched for a way out. Ch'ali looked up and saw only vast darkness that threatened to choke her.  
  
"There's one way out."  
  
Ch'ali whirled around in the cramped space. She pushed her hair away from her face. She recognized the voice. It was the voice of one she loved, hated, and even feared at the same time. "Vilandra," she whispered.  
  
"Well, well." The blacks walls around her vanished. "You remember me." Ch'ali saw the beautiful Antarian princess standing a few feet away from her. "I'm touched," Vilandra mocked.  
  
"I've done what you wanted ever since, Vilandra. I've left your brother and your kingdom to you." Ch'ali shook her head, confused about why there was still such anger in the princess' eyes.  
  
"I see you're happy."  
  
"Just leave me alone, Vilandra. Burn the link that allows you to come to me. I am no longer part of your life," Ch'ali told her, her voice not pleading the way it used to be but firm.  
  
"As much as I'd love to," the statuesque blonde drawled, "Zan would not. He and Rath are going there, Ch'ali. And you can say goodbye to whatever life you have there. They will drag you back here kicking and screaming."  
  
"Zan wanted me out of Antar," Ch'ali replied, using Vilandra's own insinuations the day she was sent away.  
  
The princess' mouth curved. "Zan was opposed to one thing." She extended her arm and held her palm up. Ch'ali's lips parted when a curled image of a fetus appeared on Vilandra's hand. "With Zan's abilities-" In front of her, the baby burst into blue flame. "Imagine how easy it would be to solve the problem."  
  
Ch'ali shot up from her bed with her arms clutched around her stomach. She was left gasping for breath, soaked in cold sweat. For a few moment, she was stunned and frozen.  
  
"Ch'ali." She felt Lexan's arms wrap around her, his lips pressing against her nape. "You're all right. You're beautiful," he whispered in reassurance.  
  
She closed her eyes and felt her tears seep out. Ch'ali tried to blink them away. She extricated herself from his embrace and lay back down on the bed. Instead of turning away, Lexan pressed up behind her and warmed her back.  
  
He heard her sniffle. Lexan did not speak. Finally, Ch'ali turned in his arms and cried against his chest.  
  
"It's almost winter," she said softly, before falling asleep.  
  
Lexan looked out the window and saw that indeed, there were gray skies in the far horizon. Slowly, he raised his arm and carefully pushed away all the clouds.  
  
And then he closed his eyes.  
  
~~  
  
Storms never came and Ch'ali flourished. Outside the castle, the kingdom burned.  
  
Ch'ali waxed until she believed that she looked like the Antarian moon she was born under. The blossoms on her cheeks reminded her of the small red flowers that fell from her childhood garden and carpeted her home.  
  
Often, Lexan would be occupied with matters of the state. Every day the line outside the castle grew longer. Farmers worried; wives wept; children starved. He attended to each with diligent concern and a sincere desire to help.  
  
Sometimes, Ch'ali wanted to step into the throne room to sit beside her husband. He asked her not to. On the back of her mind, Ch'ali wondered why the rains never came to a kingdom that had been fertile and blessed for centuries before she came. Yet any doubts flew away whenever Lexan passed by her in the veranda, before he went to face his people, and pressed his palm on her stomach and whisper his love into her ear.  
  
She felt, more than heard, the sudden change in the castle. It was as if a spell had fallen over it. Ch'ali stood and walked out, slowed by her heavy burden. She met Glori outside decked in her best.  
  
"Who arrived?" Ch'ali inquired.  
  
Glori gave her a strange smile. "Faster, Ch'ali. You would not want to miss our guests. They came such a long way."  
  
Her heart crusted with ice. Glori closed her hands around Ch'ali's. Her wooden steps brought her to the entrance of the throne room.  
  
"You have to give her back."  
  
Ch'ali straightened. Rath had always been and probably always will be coarse, no matter his intent.  
  
"She is," Lexan, her diplomatic husband, replied, "my wife now. She is my queen."  
  
"That's stupid!" Rath again exploded. Lexan's guards stepped forward and stopped only at the king's gesture. "Ch'ali is Antar's. She was contracted to wed Zan."  
  
Ch'ali noticed that Zan was, as he always was when Rath was speaking, silent, patient.  
  
"She is married to me," Lexan repeated. "And there is no way you can claim her now."  
  
"Look, what happened there was a mistake. It should not even be taken into consideration because neither I nor Zan was present."  
  
"Your fiancé tried to kill her," Lexan gritted out, the first sign of his true emotions.  
  
"We will take care of Vilandra," Zan broke his silence. "I am still in power."  
  
"And this is my kingdom," Lexan said with finality. "Leave before I create the real rift between our lands."  
  
At that, Ch'ali had to announce her presence. She would not allow Lexan to violate his own principles. Knowing Rath, it would be just the opening the Antarian general needed to finish the war that only existed in his own mind.  
  
"May I see Zan, Lexan?" she spoke, directing her question at her husband.  
  
"For the love of Antar, Ch'ali, what happened to you?" Rath blurted out, staring at her body.  
  
Ch'ali fixed a smile on her face. "Good morning, Rath."  
  
The general strode towards her, even before Zan moved. Rath stopped in front of her and took her hands in his. He brushed his lips on her fingers, the way he always did before he left for battle. "You're big," he stated needlessly. And then he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly. "Does he hurt you?" he whispered.  
  
"No."  
  
"You're afraid," Rath whispered again. "If you want me to take you home, Ch'ali, you only need a signal. Or whisper to me. Use your gift. I can take all of his soldiers."  
  
"I love him."  
  
"You're lying," he decided.  
  
Ch'ali pulled away from her friend and regarded Lexan. "May I?" Lexan nodded.  
  
She motioned Zan to approach her and led him to the garden.  
  
"There are no cherry flowers here," were his first words directed to her.  
  
Ch'ali looked at her fiancé, whom she had loved for so long. She did not deny that Zan was one of the most important men in her life. He and Rath were her anchors in the life she was given. His loss from her life was going to leave a yawning emptiness that would take too long to fill. But he had always been to her a brother. She would grieve when she gives him up, more than how she grieved for Vilandra, as much as she would grieve for Rath, but far less than she would for Antar.  
  
Even now, he still would not look at her. She smiled, because she had known that Zan would have a more difficult time touching her now than Rath would. The general had passion he could not control. Rath may not approve of what she had done, but his love for her forced him to look at the changes in her and hold her. Zan held on to the image of her in his mind, of an enthusiastic girl who was all smiles, who thought that because she loved her people, she should live to love the king as well. Zan held on to an image that was incomplete, but that he believed. He would not look at the woman she had grown into, the woman full of the child another man gave her, a woman with eyes bright not because of excitement but because of fulfillment.  
  
Ch'ali reached for Zan's hand and placed it on her stomach. He winced at the contact. "Zan, you did not travel such a long way to stare at our trees."  
  
Slowly, his gaze turned to her, and Ch'ali saw that his eyes were moist. "How?"  
  
"That you need to ask."  
  
"Ch'ali, you were mine."  
  
She spoke to him with her eyes, with the pressure of her hand as she held his. "I'll miss you, Zan. This does not mean I love you less. You were my family."  
  
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Zan pulled his hand out of hers. Ch'ali's heart sank. And then Zan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. "Antar will always be your home," he promised her. "I'll see you in the stars."  
  
Ch'ali breathed in the scent of her old life. "In the stars, Zan," she replied.  
  
There was no reason to correct him. Eternity would give Zan a soul mate. He would not wait for her.  
  
~~  
  
Ch'ali stepped into their bedroom after sending Zan and Rath away. She rubbed her aching back. Soon, she prayed the child would be born. Perhaps then Lexan's worried eyes would heal. Then, perhaps, there would be rain.  
  
"They're gone."  
  
She walked closer to her husband, who sat on the bed facing the window. The day was still too bright. Ch'ali wondered why he retired so early.  
  
Then again, she was glad. She wanted nothing more than to touch him. After seeing Zan and Rath, Lexan would be comfort.  
  
Ch'ali sat beside Lexan and leaned her head to rest on his arm. He turned his face towards her and she tipped her chin for a kiss. "I love you," she breathed.  
  
His hands closed around her throat and squeezed. Pale blue eyes were hard as flint as he watched her die. 


	13. 13

Part 13  
  
Lex woke up and realized that he was still holding Chloe in his arms. As if burned, he drew back and stumbled out of the bed. Lex scrambled towards the bathroom connected to his bedroom and dropped to his knees in front of the toilet bowl. He heaved dryly, his stomach twisting despite the emptiness.  
  
She had been so beautiful even in death. Lex figured that his past self must have blocked the incident in his mind. All he could clearly remember now was the way Chloe, Ch'ali, he corrected himself, looked in her wedding dress, laying on the pedestal that his sister insisted they create for her viewing. Ch'ali's face had been still and smooth, with none of the suffering asphyxia must have caused showing. Glori made the viewing days so memorable. His sister had made sure that Ch'ali had the honor the queen deserved.  
  
It had rained in his kingdom forever. At least he was certain that it was still raining up to the moment that Antar attacked to avenge Ch'ali. Lexan had stood on the tallest tower, as close to the stars as he could possibly reach, with Ch'ali's crystal clutched in his hand. He waited for the blast of Rath's energy. He died consumed by Antarian hatred.  
  
Yet of all the memories, the one that would stay with him forever, Lex knew, was Ch'ali's distended body, full and swollen with his first child, on the silken sheets of their marriage bed. The marks of his hands angry around her neck.  
  
Lex pulled himself up and stood in front of the sink. He turned on the faucet and washed his face with icy water. The whitelighter said to say his name if he was needed. Lex needed him now. He would ask Leo to take Chloe as far away from him as possible. He was not going to kill her again.  
  
He steeled himself and walked back into the room. Chloe lay on his bed, the most picture perfect sight he had seen in his life. Her chest rose and fell under the sheet. He had to act while she was still breathing.  
  
The unusual illusion of the wall moving made him turn his head. His step in front of the bed was automatic. Within seconds, a pert curly blonde stepped out of the wall. She gave him a wide red smile. "Heya bro!" came the greeting.  
  
"Glori," he said in recognition. No matter what form his sister took, Lex knew he would always recognize her, if only for the energy she emanated.  
  
"Betcha thought I did it, huh?"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Leo didn't make it clear?" she taunted. "And when Belthazor told me Leo had been here, I knew you would have figured it all out."  
  
Lex shook his head. "The last. they were scenes from everywhere. Maybe I was distressed because I really did not want to remember."  
  
Glori shook her head. "Don't blame yourself. Our kingdom survived the brunt of the Antarian attacks. I merely had to make myself more powerful. It was easy to do with yours and Ch'ali's gifts." Her eyebrows rose. "So if you're wondering why you did not take your gifts with you, it was because I needed them to turn myself into a god. It was the only way to save the desert you left me with."  
  
Lex did not care about powers. Glori could swallow them whole if she wanted. "Why? Why did I do it?"  
  
"You saw her and Zan embracing? You were racked by guilt by what you were doing to your people? You were suddenly terrified of being a dad?" Glori shrugged. "Who knows? You were just a very sick guy and I never noticed before. It was a bit crazy though. You kept telling me you were going to keep your family safe from everyone else. You never figured that you would kill them with your own hands."  
  
Lex shook his head. He looked down at where Chloe slept. And then he looked at Glori. "We have both always trusted you."  
  
She raised her chin and nodded. "Of course, Lexan."  
  
"Don't call by his name," he rudely interjected.  
  
Glori screwed her lips. "It would be too weird if I call you by another name, bro."  
  
"It's Lex." Lex took a deep breath. "We trusted you, Glori. Now I'll ask you. Do you think she is danger from me now?"  
  
Glori sighed and stepped close. She wrapped her arms around her brother. "I've always loved you so much. And when you brought her home, I knew she had your heart. Lex, I know you love her enough to stay away."  
  
"So you think I will hurt her again?"  
  
Glori nodded. "You may not want to. But Lex, it's innate in who you are. Just like I'm sure you had no control over loving her. You will have no control over this too."  
  
An hour later, when Chloe woke up, she saw her shoes neatly side by side to the left of the bed. The room was empty. She looked for Lex and found no one. Put off, Chloe slipped into her shoes and stomped out of the mansion. It was a long way back to the Talon or to her house on foot. Left with no alternative, she started walking.  
  
"Stupid bald man. Stupid stupid spoiled brat," she muttered as she walked. "As if there weren't mutants in Smallville. As if there's no deranged devil man or sexy pretentious phasing woman after me!"  
  
She saw a cloud of dust from a distance and knew that it was a vehicle. Chloe hopped up and down at the middle of the path and waved her arms.  
  
"What am I doing hitching a ride as if this is the safest place on earth?!"  
  
Smallville would be in the eyes of others, pretty safe. Not her though. No. She was brilliant. Chloe fled back into the cover of tall stalks.  
  
The white van stopped right where she had been jumping up and down like a nerd earlier. Chloe held her breath. "Please please please please please just go away. Please please please please just go away!"  
  
"Hey!" came a hollering female voice. "You need to hitch a ride?"  
  
"What are we doing?" an irritated male hissed. "Get back in here, Maria! As if we're not in enough trouble already!"  
  
"Wait. Someone needs our help, Spaceboy," the female returned.  
  
"Maria, come back here," came a firmer voice.  
  
"Don't use your commanding voice, Max. You're not a king."  
  
"Oh for God's sake!" said another woman. "I'm going out there and dragging her back in the van."  
  
"Isabel, dammit, let go!"  
  
Someone gasped. Chloe sincerely hoped they saw a snake and decided to flee. Ooops no. There are no snakes here. There are no snakes here.  
  
"I think I saw her."  
  
Chloe's eyes widened when the stalks concealing her parted and she looked up at the disturbingly familiar face of the woman who had once tried to kill her. 


	14. 14

Part 14  
  
Vilandra's hair was shorter, curlier and softer as it framed her face. But those eyes, those lips, that nose, were still Princess Vilandra's. Chloe did the one thing she swore she would never do when cornered.  
  
Chloe pulled a Lana Lang and backed away, screaming her head off.  
  
The tall blonde raised her hand towards her and Chloe flinched. Then she remembered just what Vilandra could do. Chloe straightened and forced herself to be brave. Vilandra had tried once, and she did not succeed. Sure, it was primarily because of Lexan. But she did not succeed.  
  
"Isabel, did you find her?"  
  
Her eyes focused on the people who stood behind Vilandra. Isabel. Her gaze widened and moved back and forth from the first tall guy to the next. Her lips parted. The first tear rolled down her cheek.  
  
"Ch'ali," they said at the same time.  
  
Chloe found herself swept up in strong arms. She wrapped her arms around Rath's shoulders. He peppered her face with kisses. "You're here!" she sniffled. "I thought I would never see you again."  
  
"I was once your protector, Ch'ali. I will protect you in whatever galaxy you are," he promised.  
  
Next, Chloe found herself moved into another embrace. Zan brushed a familiar kiss on her temple. In her ear, he whispered, "We both missed the stars, Ch'ali. But destiny will bring us together wherever we are."  
  
Chloe pulled away and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I cannot believe you're both here. How?"  
  
"I believe you have the answer to that, Ch'ali. If you'll remember that far back," Zan told her.  
  
A look of wonder crossed her face. "You mean the Granolith?"  
  
"Your father's masterpiece, Ch'ali. It served the greatest purpose," the princess, who they now called Isabel, said. "The Granolith was our only hope."  
  
Chloe had no idea why Vilandra looked at her so kindly. The princess must have noticed her reaction, because she explained, "Ch'ali, we are no longer the same people that we were in Antar. We have part of our past selves with us, but we do not let them control you. We are different."  
  
"Call me Chloe, Isabel. I've changed too."  
  
Chloe saw Rath scratch his head. She turned to him. "You might want to start referring to me as Michael too," he told her. "Rath was a violent guy."  
  
"Yes, you were," Chloe confirmed quickly, earning her first glare from her long lost friend. "Sorry."  
  
"Yeah," he grudgingly allowed. "Anyway, I'm not like that anymore."  
  
"Not usually at least," the girl called Maria added. Maria also received a scathing glare from the hothead.  
  
"And Chloe," Zan caught her attention. He pulled a brunette close to him. "My name is Max. And this is Liz, my wife."  
  
Chloe's brows lifted. Liz had not been part of their life in Antar. She did not even appear like the ladies that Zan adored back then. He must have taken this attraction from his human side. She could not keep the pang of sadness in her heart. Once, Zan had been completely hers. Rather than jealousy though, Chloe recognized the feeling as one of loss. What Isabel said was true. They were not the same people anymore.  
  
Her eyes took in the way that Michael tugged Maria's hand, and the belligerent look that she threw his way. As night follows day, Chloe was certain that another human had captured the general's heart. She noticed the longing look that the fifth member of the group threw Isabel's way. Isabel herself wore a gold band that told her that she married another human. They had all changed so much. Was it only she that returned to the same person she loved then?  
  
"We are all so different," was the only thing she said.  
  
Max nodded. "If we remained the same, that means we learned nothing, Chloe. Then we would only be repeating the same mistakes we made in Antar."  
  
"Second chances are meant for healing," Isabel said with a smile. "I'm happy to know I've changed a lot. It tells me that I won't go down the same path. I have not been the best person then. I'm trying now, though."  
  
"Guys," the guy who had been silent until then cleared his throat, "we seem to be forgetting our purpose here. We came to this little village to find Ch'ali, right? We've found her, and you are all spouting off didactic melodrama. I thought this was urgent." And then he gave Chloe a sexy grin. "Kyle Valenti, at your service."  
  
"Oh right!" Maria clapped her hands. "Liz, tell her!"  
  
Liz nodded. She looked at Zan for affirmation. "Chloe," she said, "you're in danger."  
  
Chloe bit her lip to stifle a chuckle. "Tell me something I don't know. I've been in danger since I went to this leafy little hamlet."  
  
Michael stiffened. His hands fisted. "You have?"  
  
Maria covered his hands with her own. "Down, boy. No enemies to blast right now."  
  
Chloe beamed at Michael. Changed or not, Rath was still the same stubborn and protective man that she had been. "There are a lot of strange things happening here in Smallville. I'm not sure you're prepared."  
  
Kyle clutched his stomach and started laughing so hard that he had to suck in his breath in heaves. Liz patted Kyle on the back. She threw an apologetic smile to Chloe. "Suffice to say that we're used to strange things. Some of the battles and. errrm. skirmishes for your planet happened in our café even."  
  
"Oh. Okay." Chloe nodded.  
  
"So you can definitely tell us what we're up against."  
  
"There's this whitelighter who doesn't seem to be a threat. But his mere presence tells me that there will be a lot of trouble, because let's face it, he won't bother coming to Smallville, Kansas if there wasn't a big thing happening here."  
  
"Okay," Max acknowledged. "Something we haven't encountered before but-"  
  
"But I'm Hispanic and somewhat of a Catholic and have a lot of knowledge about angels," Maria interrupted. "Rest assured. I have us covered there."  
  
"I don't think he's that kind of angel," Chloe said. "Anyway, there's also a demon named Belthazor who's been running after me, calling me a slut, and a devil, and then he started saying he wanted to impregnate me."  
  
"Can't say I blame him," Kyle interjected.  
  
"Don't talk to her that way," Michael snapped.  
  
"Relax, man!"  
  
"Well, yeah. Basically, that's all I know of. I'm sure there are a lot more though, because I've heard mentions of an Angel guy, but someone different from the angel I was telling you about. And oh, yeah, there's also a Glory."  
  
"Oh!" Liz gasped. "That's what I wanted to warn you about. I saw her, with this dark background, and lots of fire. She looked very evil. And I know she wanted to hurt you."  
  
"Really?" Chloe frowned. "I thought you were human."  
  
Liz nodded emphatically. "I was alienized by Max's love." Max beamed and kissed her on the lips. Liz reciprocated with fervor, wrapping her arms around Max's wide shoulders.  
  
Chloe's face crumpled with undefined reaction. Isabel grinned at her. "It's called disgust, Chloe. Don't feel bad. We all experience it. Now we just know how to hide it."  
  
"I wonder if we can stop them from being to licorice sweet if I pretend to be put off by the fact that she's on my ex-fiance."  
  
"Give it up, Chloe. They're married. And you got married first," Michael reminded her. "You've got to forgive the guy."  
  
Chloe shrugged. She thought of some other way to stop the interaction. "Liz!" Liz whirled around at Chloe's abrupt and sharp voice. "I'm so happy that my Zan found happiness with you!" Chloe stepped right between them and hugged Liz, forcing the brunette to hug back.  
  
Liz drew a sharp breath. She tightened her arms around Chloe and closed her eyes, riding out the premonition. Chloe stepped back and waited with the others. Finally, Liz opened her eyes and blinked at Chloe. "I can't believe it!" she gasped in reproach.  
  
"What did I do?"  
  
"You're with him!"  
  
"With who?"  
  
Liz turned to Max, Michael and Isabel. And then she glanced accusingly at Chloe. "She's still with Lexan!" she revealed.  
  
Michael's face became livid. He turned to Chloe. "You're still with that bastard!"  
  
Chloe gasped. "You said you were okay as long as I'm happy!" she cried in disbelief. "Has the cloning and travel to another galaxy made you a complete imbecile?"  
  
Maria applauded her silently from behind Michael.  
  
"I've always known he hurt you. And then when we came to save you, you stubbornly denied it! Look what happened!"  
  
Chloe was bewildered. Michael was the one who seemed so ecstatic to see her again. Now he was pissed? "What happened?" she demanded.  
  
"She doesn't remember, Michael!" Isabel said. "Quit it."  
  
Max placed his hand on Michael's arm. He walked forward and placed his hand on Chloe's cheek. "Chloe," he started, wanting to slowly break the truth to her, "are you with Lexan again?"  
  
"It's none of your business," she answered acidly.  
  
He nodded. "I understand. I respect your privacy. I just want you to know, Chloe, that in case you are, you have to stay away from him."  
  
She jutted her chin out. Max saw so much of his little Ch'ali in this young woman. If only her life was not in danger, he would laugh and kiss her. He missed her so much.  
  
"When you died, the war broke out. Do you know why?"  
  
"Because Rath," she glared at Michael, "couldn't keep his temper in check."  
  
"You're right," Michael said softly. "And I had a reason. So you want to know what it is?" Chloe didn't answer.  
  
Max waited until Chloe's eyes met his. He said, "Both Rath and I decided to destroy his kingdom because of you."  
  
"I was dead."  
  
"Lexan killed you with his own hands."  
  
"No," she breathed.  
  
"By his own admission, Chloe," Max continued. "He killed you in your own bed." 


	15. 15

Part 15  
  
She had not been to the windmill for so long. Chloe figured that if she wanted to see Metropolis, she would go there. There was nothing more pathetic than staying far away from something you want and looking at it from a distance. She was a go-getter, and it had been her limitation and advantage at the same time. People who stayed away were cowards.  
  
Now though, Chloe sat on the very top, looking out at the bright lights that called to her. Someday she was going to be a celebrity journalist and all of Metropolis would stand in awe of her. That was, of course, if she lived to join a prestigious news agency. That looked bleak at the moment since she knew she can't stay away from Lex.  
  
On the ground, close to the funny little van, two young men gazed up at her. Neither spoke until Liz and Maria stopped beside them.  
  
"What are you two doing down here when Chloe's way up there?" Liz asked.  
  
Max answered, "She looks like she has a bunch of problems."  
  
"Well," Maria rationalized, "finding out that the love of your life choked you death isn't a problem to you two?"  
  
Michael stares her down. "That is precisely why we're staying away. Can't deal with chick problems."  
  
"That's true," Maria agreed sarcastically. "You have no talent for it."  
  
"Someday I'm going to find a way to shut you up," he warned.  
  
"You already have," she said, eyes twinkling.  
  
Liz sighed. "So why did we go looking for her anyway, if you're not going to talk to her, fix her problems?"  
  
Max, with royal assurance, informed his wife, "To protect her, of course."  
  
"Thus the staring," Maria repeated, all along not taking her eyes off her soldier.  
  
~~  
  
Chloe looked up to see Isabel standing beside her. She smiled in welcome, and the princess settled on the space close to Chloe.  
  
"I'm surprise to see you here. I thought there was an Antarian agreement to leave me alone."  
  
"Max and Michael were stupid then; they still are now," Isabel said, the fondness for the two belying her words. "You know men. Let them smell that something is wrong and they will run for cover."  
  
"I don't know men," Chloe answered. "The only one whom I got seriously involved with killed me, remember?"  
  
"You okay?"  
  
Chloe nodded. And then shook her head. "I wish you didn't come here to tell me what you told me. Maybe things could've worked out. Or not. Either way, I'm very confused."  
  
Isabel took a deep breath. The night air was cool. She missed the fresh scent of oxygen after spending months inside the van with the same faces. "I never want to go back to who I was back then," she started. "Usually I push back the memories of Vilandra. She was the biggest bitch, wasn't she?"  
  
That brought a grin to Chloe's lips. "She definitely was."  
  
Isabel chuckled. "But now, being who I am, I can tell you that there are memories I hold on to because my husband is far away and I'm afraid I'll be alone forever." The princess faced her past life's bane and reached for her hand. "I remember you. Ch'ali," Isabel said, going back to the name she was more familiar with, "when you returned from the convention, I knew something changed. You fell in love. And you were suddenly more beautiful than you ever were when you were just my brother's fiancé."  
  
"Thank you." Chloe did not know why she blushed, and told herself it was inappropriate.  
  
"And then I remember Lexan, when Zan, Rath and I came to your viewing." Isabel's words brought goosebumps to her skin. "He clutched your crystal in his fist. Lexan refused to give it to Zan. My brother told him that we needed to catapult your essence to the stars, because that's our way. Lexan didn't let go. He was dead long before his body died."  
  
Chloe took a deep breath. Isabel telling her about Ch'ali, she could accept freely. Images of Lexan Chloe could not take as well.  
  
"You were lovely. He was hideous. And both images because of love. Even though the past was tragic for all of us, I hold on to the memories because I take comfort in the fact that even though Jesse and I are sad now, someday we might find a way to be together."  
  
"Well don't take lessons from me, Isabel," Chloe finally replied, "because I'm not exactly model material when it comes to love."  
  
The two blonde women looked back at the other two girls climbing the windmill. Liz and Maria sat with them and scoffed at the cowards below.  
  
"So what do you want to do now?"  
  
Chloe took a deep breath. It was so much easier when she was tending to the heartache of being in love with her best friend while he was in love with another girl. That was relatively less tumultuous than what she had found with Lex. Her involvement with Lex was one day nothing more than a look, to possession the next, and past life murder the next. "I have no idea."  
  
"Given," Maria gushed, "that this guy killed you in the past. Is he hot?"  
  
"Maria!" Liz protested.  
  
"Seriously though, if you're in love with him, and he's attractive, who cares how destructive he is! I fought tooth and nail for the guy I love."  
  
Isabel grinned. "Until you discovered you can become a star."  
  
"That was not what happened and I resent the implication!" Maria folded her arms in front of her. "Besides, I never stopped loving him."  
  
"Luckily, Max saved me, not hurt me."  
  
"So I've heard," Isabel murmured. "One thousand seven hundred eighty four times," she added under her breath.  
  
"What's wrong with them?" Chloe asked, pointing to Michael, Max, and the freshly awake Kyle.  
  
All four young women watched as Kyle waved his arms around, yelling back at something that Max said. Chloe watched in fascination as Max turned rocks into targets using his hands. Michael jogged a few yards away and raised red glowing fists.  
  
"They're pissed off because they can't touch Lexan."  
  
"Okay, I've had it!" Chloe burst. "They insist that they're different people now. So all should be forgiven and forgotten. What about Lex, then?"  
  
"To be fair," Isabel said, "they did not try kill you."  
  
"Yeah," Maria added drolly, "Isabel did."  
  
Isabel narrowed her eyes at Maria. "Kindly remember that you are the only one in the group without powers or any hope of gaining some."  
  
"Ooooh!" Liz giggled. "Be careful, Ria, or she's going to dreamwalk you to death."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. To go from one group of friends who thought that the smallest burp was an earth-shattering problem to a group who treated genocide as a joke. "Lex is stupid too, don't worry. He's letting our past come between us now."  
  
~~  
  
Lex mulled. It was nothing new really. Luthors were known to sit in the dark and brood. This time, the object of his mulling was something new to his family. Unless of course his ancestors also had past lives of being the tyrants of distant galaxies. Lex wouldn't exclude that possibility.  
  
He couldn't help thinking back to the last images of his kingdom imprinted in his brain. It was as if his memories of that life resurfaced to the point that to him, it happened yesterday. He wanted to forget the overwhelming guilt that possessed him; at the same time, Lex wanted to remember it so much that it would haunt him so that he would not even think of touching Chloe.  
  
Easily, the feeling of standing out in Ch'ali's garden, clutching her crystal in his hand, returned to him. He had stayed there drenched under the rain while his people approached him to give their condolences, to tell him that with the departure of their young queen, Ch'ali had given them the gift of life. Lexan knew then that by twilight, he would cause the waters to rise so high that the entire kingdom would be flooded in memory of his wife.  
  
He had pushed away towards the ceremonial room where her body lay. Ch'ali was as beautiful as day and as peaceful as the night. Under the light of a thousand candles that hung from the ceiling, her skin was porcelain. Lexan was afraid that if he touched her he would break her.  
  
The bruises around her white neck screamed to him that he already had broken her. She was the most precious gift that he had been, by some miracle, able to steal from Zan and Antar. And there she lay dead, testament to how great a man he was.  
  
Lexan had dripped a puddle of water in front of the pedestal that held Ch'ali. He looked at her unblinkingly but did not move. He could have spent his entire life staring at his wife.  
  
"You killed her."  
  
"I did," he had responded, without hesitation, without looking back at the person who owned the voice. He had taken Ch'ali from one death trap to another. She would not have survived in his home.  
  
"We will avenge her, Lexan. You know that."  
  
He had not needed to look to know that the firm promise was Zan's.  
  
A foreign voice shook his from his reverie.  
  
"So I just heard from my friend back home that I am not the father of the child to be borne by the daughter of the sun. Looks like it's all right if I talk to you."  
  
Lex focused on the man in full black attire, whom he recognized as Angel. "You're more than human."  
  
Angel smiled in such a tight way it looked like a wince. "I'm a vampire."  
  
"That's new, although not surprising. There are fat-sucking vampires here," he said offhandedly. "Youth-sucking ones too."  
  
"I can see how morbid you are. I understand."  
  
"So you know." Angel nodded. "You'll have to keep her away from me. But you can't suck her blood or turn her. Just make sure she stays away."  
  
"You know what, Lex. I can call you Lex right?" Angel gushed, remembering that the man was rich enough and would be a valuable potential client. "I have advice for you."  
  
"I'll take whatever I can get," Lex affirmed seriously.  
  
"Good." Angel sat down on one of the chairs and rested his elbows on his knees when he leaned forward. Lex prepared himself to imbibe the wisdom that only centuries of living can give a man. Angel took a deep breath. "Never kill a woman you love."  
  
Lex stared at the vampire for several heartbeats. When Angel did not say anything else, Lex narrowed his eyes.  
  
"You don't like my advice," Angel concluded.  
  
"That wasn't." Lex shook his head. "Never mind."  
  
They broke their gaze at the sound of tinkling and bells. The two turned to the figure that solidified from dancing little blue lights.  
  
"So everything is falling into place," Leo said, looking directly at Lex.  
  
"Are you insane?" Lex replied sardonically. "Everything's a mess. And you're to blame for this too because you didn't even warn me."  
  
Leo sighed. His eyes fell on Angel. "Hey."  
  
Lex rolled his eyes and introduced the two. "Leo, Angel. Angel, Leo. Unless you two know each other."  
  
"Oh yeah," Angel drawled. "Vampire and whitelighter. We're from the same circle."  
  
The whitelighter smiled and extended his hand. "I'm actually familiar with the Angel of LA. Your work is greatly appreciated up there."  
  
Angel's eyebrows rose at what he took was a compliment. "Well thanks. What you're doing. you know, saving people, healing them, watching out for good. Well, I think it's great too."  
  
Lex blurted acerbically, "Focus on my problem, will you?"  
  
Leo nodded. "Sorry. And I was just looking for Chloe. The best way to approach this is to speak to her directly. See what she thinks of what she saw."  
  
"What is she supposed to think?" Lex countered. "She fell in love. She got killed. By me."  
  
"Well the best thing to do is not kill her this time," Leo offered. Lex glanced at Angel, who had on a look that made him want to strangle his two visitors.  
  
A knock on the door brought Lex to his feet. He opened it to his butler, who said solemly, "Master Lex, there is a young woman here who wants to come in."  
  
"Chloe Sullivan?"  
  
"No, master. The young woman claims to be your sister."  
  
Three men inside the room sighed in exasperation the moment that Glory walked in. The blonde gave them a winning smile. "Hello everyone!"  
  
Leo stalked forward and took Glory by the upper arm. "You know what. You two have to excuse me and Glory over here. We have something important to talk about."  
  
While Leo was starting to orb them, Glory was able to gasp out for Lex, "Don't worry, bro! He's just pissed because of the destruction I caused when you got killed. Oh and stay away from the new kids in town. Rath is itching to blast you to pieces!"  
  
When the two vanished, Angel turned to Lex. "Looks like you have a long and dangerous road ahead of you."  
  
"Looks like," Lex agreed absently.  
  
Angel handed him his business card. "We're always here to help out."  
  
Lex took it.  
  
"Someone will call you regarding the prices." 


	16. 16

Part 16  
  
The two immortals stared at each other. Leo circled around Glory as he eyed her up and down. Glory took a deep breath and smiled at Leo. "Don't look so pissed, Leo."  
  
The whitelighter narrowed his eyes and raised his finger. "The only reason I haven't spilled the beans is that the elders told me this is your last chance at being saved! If I had my choice, I would have told them everything. The elders insist on waiting, on giving you the opportunity to come clean."  
  
Glory bit her lip and shrugged. "It was masterful, don't you think?" She got a faraway look in her eyes.  
  
"Are you reliving it?" Leo demanded in disbelief.  
  
"It was one of my best performances yet," Glory replied dreamily. She closed her eyes. "The kingdom was dying. The people were losing faith in my family. We could do nothing about the drought. Add to that the fact that my brother allowed both the king and the general of Antar."  
  
She saw it as if it was happening before her eyes.  
  
The queen's eyelids fluttered closed. Ch'ali fell limply on the bed.  
  
The murderer rose, wiped hands on the gown that Ch'ali wore. King Lexan strode out of the room and nodded to the servant girls that passed by him. He looked directly up at the surveillance installed before their door raised his hand, effectively cutting the record.  
  
Within the space of five seconds, Glory morphed back into her own form. She called to her men, dissatisfied civilians seeking only their fields' fertility. The men lifted their burden towards her and paused. The princess laid her hand upon her unconscious brother's cheek and laid a gentle kiss. "I've broken you out of your enchantment, Lexan."  
  
"And when he woke up," Leo provided stiffly, "he saw his queen dead in their own bed, with himself as the only one present."  
  
Glory hummed in satisfaction. "And there were witness to his crime," she continued. "The maids saw him at the doorway moments before. Lexan had run to the security room and saw the last recording of that area was of himself turning it off."  
  
"It was from masterful," Leo cut off. "It was reprehensible."  
  
Glory finally opened her eyes and arched an eyebrow at him. "I fail to see why. I accomplished what I needed to. My people received their rain; and we were no longer under the mercy of Antarians!"  
  
"You've cursed your own brother!" Leo argued.  
  
Glory shook her head. "I loved Lexan with all of my heart. I did everything so that our people would remember him as a great king."  
  
"And this is just what he needed," Leo agreed sarcastically. "Do you know that before he was born in this dimension, I could hear his essence howling from the stars?"  
  
The hell goddess nodded. "But you have always been overly dramatic." She walked towards the whitelighter and combed her fingers through his dirty blonde hair. "You understand that I love him, but you don't understand how I could do what I did. You understand the politics of Lexan's past; yet you do not know that in ancient kingdoms, everything's an eye for an eye."  
  
Leo stiffened when Glory's fingernails but into his temple. He felt a great pressure sucking him out, towards the digits pressed in his skull. The edges of his vision blacked out.  
  
Cole orbed into the room and saw the scene before him. It was an automatic response. He did not need to ask who was on his side. His arm shot out and he threw a ball of fire towards Glory.  
  
He walked towards the fallen whitelighter and extended his hand. Leo shook the fuzzy cobwebs out of his head and took Cole's hand. "Thanks," he grunted.  
  
"What are brothers-in-law for?"  
  
~~  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
Chloe muttered in her sleep. Just her luck. She got stuck with girlfriends who would not shut up when she wants to get some sleep!  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
And then this insistent shaking. That voice was Maria de Luca. Maria de Luca was going to die in the morning. After Chloe got enough sleep.  
  
"Chloe, wake up!"  
  
All right, that was Isabel's voice. Something was definitely going on. Even if Chloe could take on Maria, it was harder to do when an alien with powers was on her side.  
  
Chloe wanted to cry. She really liked sleeping here in the open air, feeling safe and protected because new versions of Zan and Rath were several yards away ready to protect her. She sat up. "What? What?"  
  
The nomadic Roswellians pointed towards a lone figure in the distance. Chloe blinked and squinted at the approaching person. "Is that-"  
  
"Ohhhh wooow," Liz exclaimed, drawing out her words. "That's your killer."  
  
Chloe was getting frustrated. "That's my-" She would have said boyfriend, but one passionate night did not equate to a relationship, even if you apparently have a thousand year history. "That's Lex."  
  
Maria scampered for her backpack. She took binoculars and focused on Lex. "Oh Chloe, he's old!"  
  
Chloe frowned at Maria. "Lex was reborn," she retorted. "Michael's an old guy repackaged. That's freakier."  
  
"Girls," Isabel said, trying to pacify the two, "let's not get into that."  
  
The four saw Kyle calling the two young men. Their gazes widened when Max and Michael raced directly in front of Lex.  
  
"What are they doing?" Chloe cried. She glimpsed Michael's fist behind him. "Oh no, they don't!" She crawled towards the ladder and quickly climbed down. The three girls followed closely behind her.  
  
"Michael!" Maria called. "Temper."  
  
"Max, you've got to think," Liz yelled.  
  
"Kyle, you'd better stop them or I'll roast you!" Isabel commanded.  
  
Chloe ran towards the standoff. She stopped next to Michael because the hybrid grabbed her upper arm. She pulled away but stayed in place. "What are you doing here, Lex? I thought you didn't want to see me. That's what I got when I woke up alone. After making love with you."  
  
"Damn, man, didn't anyone teach you proper etiquette?" Kyle asked.  
  
Chloe shut Kyle up by biting out, "He went to the best and most exclusive schools. Of course he has etiquette." And then she turned back to Lex, "Just not with me, right?"  
  
Lex stood firm and swallowed. He saw that long-haired young man clenching his jaw in anger. He could tell that that guy was dangerous. Lex looked deeper into the young man's eyes. He recognized him. Rath! He looked at his companions and was able to give name to two more. There was Zan and Vilandra. Why was Chloe hanging out with Vilandra? Maybe he should have taken Angel and his sky-high prices. But Lex really wanted to visit Chloe against Angel's advice.  
  
"I wanted to tell you something, Chloe," he started. Were those tears in her eyes? "You have to stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you."  
  
"Do you love her?" Maria asked, earning hard glances from her friends.  
  
"He doesn't," Chloe answered for Lex. "Why else would he not fight? Lex never believed in rules that should govern his life. Why should he stay away from me if he loves me?"  
  
Lex didn't look at Chloe. He directed his answer to Maria. "I don't love her. If I loved her I would keep her with me so that when I feel the urge to kill her again, I can just turn to face her then stranger her."  
  
He turned around and started to walk away.  
  
Chloe turned to Michael and Max. "Don't."  
  
"Don't what?" Max asked.  
  
"Just don't." And Chloe ran after Lex. 


	17. 17

Part 17  
  
By the time Lex arrived at the manor, he was exhausted physically and emotionally. His mind was whirling with images of everything he could have had. After reliving the passion and the pain with Ch'ali, Lex knew that he would have given all he had to be with her again. What he had with her as Lexan was worth a kingdom. He understood why he had exchanged his people for a life with her. However, whatever bliss they had, it was not worth her life. He had settled in his heart, decided for both their souls. He would have to live knowing that he touched real love as Lexan.  
  
His soul hoped so dearly, and would not let his rest with his decision. At the back of his eyelids he saw a bubbling golden-haired infant, laughing toothlessly. There was a toddler dressed in suit, standing straight as Chloe fixed his tie.  
  
Lex groaned and shook his head. He closed the door of his bedroom.  
  
"I hope you don't think it's that easy," he heard her say. Lex turned around and saw her standing before his fireplace. "I had the maids start one. I knew you would be freezing by the time you got here."  
  
Lex had to force himself not to press against the door. It was no use showing her his weakness. She was already too stubborn and too determined without knowing how much power she had over him. "How did you even arrive before me?"  
  
She smiled. Lex could hide so well from other people. He was able to mask his emotions from her every day until she rediscovered their past. From that moment on, she could read everything about Lex—his movements, his looks, his voice. "It pays to have connections."  
  
Lex cleared his throat. "Leo?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "She's still recovering from Glory's attack. It was the demon."  
  
His voice darkened at that. "Do you know that Belthazor could have killed you?" he demanded. Lex closed his eyes and shuddered. Violence was innate in him. There was no sense stoking the flames when she was within the same four walls as he was. "What's done is done," he said to calm himself. "You're safe." And then he met her gaze again. "I'd like for you to stay that way, so you should go home. I'll leave for Metropolis first thing in the morning."  
  
Chloe took a step forward, and Lex automatically stepped back, hitting the small of his back on the doorknob. "Are you so bent on keeping us apart after everything we've been through?"  
  
"It was one night."  
  
"And a lifetime!" she argued. She strode forward, and watch Lex flinch with her every step. "Lex, you will not hurt me. Not this time."  
  
"How do you figure that?" he whispered. She was so close to him that he felt her breath on his neck. "Tell me, Chloe. Do you remember everything?"  
  
"Yes," she answered. "And I still want to be with you. Doesn't that tell you anything?"  
  
"It does." He took her by her upper arms and moved her gently away from him, and then he walked away, this time leaving her by the door and going to the fireplace himself. Opposite ends of the room was safe. Opposite ends of the earth was even better. "It tells me that I need to stay away myself to keep you alive."  
  
"That's crazy!" she burst. "I am not Ch'ali. You're not Lexan. Not anymore."  
  
"I killed you!"  
  
"You loved me." Chloe closed her eyes. "I would gladly trade whatever future I have for a chance to experience that kind of love again. I don't believe you killed me. How's that?"  
  
"I did," he said forcefully. "I saw it with my own eyes. I looked at you on that bed, with my handprints on your pale neck." Like a magnetic attraction, and despite all his determination not to, Lex walked closer to Chloe. With trembling fingers he touched her pale neck. "I looked at you on the day of your viewing, as my kingdom paid respect to the queen who caused all its pain. I saw the relief in their eyes, and knew that they would pay. Antar was going to kill every last person in my land, and I would have gladly helped her salt my fields."  
  
Chloe closed her hands around his. She kissed each palm and bathed them with her tears, if only to wash away the blood of his people. "You could not have hurt me, Lex, because of all of that."  
  
"Loving you made me who I became, a king who cared for no one but the queen, a ruler who willingly fell under the hands of the enemy to punish his own people."  
  
"It's all in the past," she said. "I'm sorry for everything that happened to them."  
  
Lex met her eyes. "I'm not. But I would not have you hurt again. These hands are stained." He pulled them away.  
  
"I am so tired of this!" she cried. "You say you love me but you want me out of your life. You don't want me hurt but you hurt me with every word. Lex, I can die tomorrow and it would all be in vain because I only had one night with you."  
  
"You won't," he assured her. "I will make sure nothing happens to you. I will keep away from you so I will not have a chance to hurt you."  
  
She was incensed. The man was stubborn and close-minded. "Then what kind of life is that? You know what, Lex, it's better that we end this now!" Chloe swung the door open and ran outside.  
  
Lex knew he should not follow. He had to let her live her life. It was better now without him. However, her words woke fear inside him. Against all his better logic Lex stalked after her.  
  
The sound of her footsteps led him where he knew he should not go. He pushed open the door and entered Lionel's favorite room. Chloe stood in the middle, her golden hair fanned around her face, making her appear like a virgin sacrifice in the stone room surrounded by ancient weapons of war and torture.  
  
"What the hell are you trying to do, Chloe?" Lex demanded.  
  
"Shut up, Lex. You believe so much you'll kill me. Let's prove one thing then."  
  
They looked at each other for several seconds, neither moving. Lex's gaze never left Chloe's face. He dared not move. He was afraid that one action might trigger another and another that would ultimately lead him to do her harm. It was like that for several minutes.  
  
"Here I am, Lex," she taunted. "All of these hanging from the walls can kill me within the span of seconds. If you're really going to hurt me, why am I still standing here?"  
  
"This doesn't prove anything," he gritted out.  
  
"It doesn't?" she whispered. Slowly, she drew out from behind her a silver dagger. She brushed her hair away from her neck and held the tip on her jugular.  
  
Lex zeroed in on that point. His sharp eyesight took in every pulse, every movement that brought her skin closer to the metal. He dared not take a step closer. "Stop this, Chloe. Just accept the fact that there can be nothing between us this time."  
  
Chloe pushed the tip closer. She felt the prick of the cold metal as it cut her skin. "Is this how you'll kill me, Lex? Will my blood run down the blade slowly until I'm cold, or will you make it quick?"  
  
"I won't get near you in this room, Chloe," he warned her. "It's too dangerous."  
  
"More dangerous than this? It's just you and I now, Lex. There are no angels, vampires, aliens and demons. No other kings or generals or princesses. If you believe you killed me then, let's see what you will do when it's only the two of us."  
  
Lex stood his ground. Chloe gripped the dagger more tightly. Slowly, she sank to her knees. "I only want you," she whispered. "I think after everything that happened between us, I deserve to have you back. I waited lifetimes for you, Lexan. Don't do this when I finally found you."  
  
When he did not move, Chloe closed her eyes, steady tears flowing. Then slowly, every so gently, firm hands were pulling the dagger out of her grip. Warm lips kissed the cut on her throat, then drank her tears away. Chloe's lips slackened and she turned her head to meet his kiss.  
  
The dagger clattered on the stone floor, and her arms looped around his neck. She opened her eyes.  
  
"I didn't kill you," he said in wonder, kneeling in front of her.  
  
Chloe laughed in relief. "I told you you wouldn't."  
  
He wiped her tears away. "That was by the far the stupidest, most insane, loveliest thing you have done."  
  
Her voice was a bit hoarse when she replied, "Well you didn't push it in. That was the best part of it all."  
  
"You believed in me."  
  
Chloe pressed her lips on his cheeks. "You were my savior. I never believed you could have hurt Ch'ali."  
  
"But I did."  
  
The two turned at the now familiar sound of orbing. Leo materialized in front of the window, taking in the image of the couple on the floor in front of him. "Actually, Lex, you never did. It took such a long time to tell you. It was all your sister. I'm sorry for not having told you sooner."  
  
Chloe and Lex both shook their heads. "No," Chloe said. "This was infinitely better. I'm glad we had to go through this first. We needed this. We've always been for dramatic revelations."  
  
Leo smiled and nodded. "I understand." He noticed the blood on her neck and stepped forward. "Do you want me to heal that for you?"  
  
Chloe covered the wound with her hand. "No. You can be the savior for a lot of other people out there. I have someone to treat this for me."  
  
"Max Evans?"  
  
Lex stood up and held out his hand to help Chloe up. "No. Alcohol and Lex Luthor," he told the whitelighter. "Thank you for everything."  
  
Leo walked over to the two and kissed Chloe on the cheek. "I'm glad it worked out, and that you found each other again." He turned to Lex. Lex stiffened. "I'm not kissing you," Leo assured him. The whitelighter proceeded to embrace him. "It was great to meet you."  
  
"You too," Lex said, then cleared his throat. When Leo was about to orb, Lex asked, "What about the prophecy? The powerful child of the daughter of the sun. What can we expect?"  
  
Leo grinned. He winked at Chloe. "Well, life isn't fun if we don't have surprises. Besides, it won't be long until you find out what that is really all about." And then the figure melted into dancing blue lights.  
  
Lex turned Chloe in his arms, the weapons around them forgotten. "Did he mean what I think he meant?" he rasped.  
  
Chloe's eye widened. "I have no idea." 


End file.
